FUR  FARMING. 


FUR  FARMING 


A  BOOK  OF  INFORMATION  ABOUT 

FUR    BEARING    ANIMALS, 

ENCLOSURES,  HABITS, 

CARE,,  ETC. 


A.  R.  HARDING 


(Revised  Edition 


Published  By 

A.  R.  HARDING  PUBLISHING  CO. 
Columbus,  Ohio. 


Copyright,    1909 
By    A.    R.    HARDING    PUB.    CO. 


CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER.  PAGE. 

I.     Supply  and  Demand 15 

II.    What  Animals  to  Raise 25 

III.  Enclosures 36 

IV.  Laws  Affecting  Fur  Farming 53 

V.     Box  Trap  Trapping 70 

VI.     Fox  Raising  ! 81 

VII.     Skunk  Raising 102 

VIII.     Mink  Raising  127 

IX.     Opossum  Raising  138 

X.     kuskrat  Raising 147 

XI.     Raccoon  Raising   160 

XII.    The  Beaver  and  the  Otter 170 

XIII.  Killing,   Skinning  and  Stretching 181 

XIV.  Deer  Farming   202 


2022255 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATINNS. 


PAGE 
Some  Young  Black  and  Silver  Foxes Frontispiece 

A  Draining  Dredge 19 

Mode  of  Constructing  Enclosure 39 

Fence  with  Turned-in  Top 42 

Four  Enclosures  Combined 48 

Box  Trap  for  Catching  Animals  Alive 72 

Box  Trap  with  Swing  Gate 75 

Barrel  Trap  for  Catching  Animals  Alive 77 

Another  Box  Trap 79 

Northwestern  Fox  Skins 84 

Barrel  Shelter  for  Female  and  Young 87 

Map  Showing  Where  Fox  Raising  is  Feasible 91 

Plan  for  Arrangement  of  Fox  Yards 92 

Box  Shelter  for  Female  and  Youug 93 

Corner  of  a  Fox  Yard 95 

Fox  Yards,    Showing  Detail  of  Outer  Fence 97 

A  Tame  Fox 99 

Yards  of  a  Successful  Maine  Fox  Farmer 101 

They  Soon  Become  Tame  and  may  b*  Handled 104 

Fur  Farm  on  Open  Ground 108 

9 


10  LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE 

Corner  of  an  Ohio  Skunk  Farm 113 

A  Corner  of  Mr.  Bray's  Skunkery 122 

Mink  Enclosure  in  Detail 134 

They  are  Fond  of  Eggs 144 

The  Muskrat  at  Home 149 

Looks  Good  for  a  Muskrat  Farm 156 

A  Neat  Shelter  for  Coons 162 

They  Frequently  Raid  the  Melon  Patches 16-j 

Fur  Farm  on  Open  Ground 168 

A  Beaver  House 173 

The  Wonc  of  Beavers 178 

Popular  Styles  of  Stretching  Boards 192 

The  Proper  Shapes  and  Sizes 198 

Elk  in  Enclosure 213 

Tame  Deer  Eating  Watermelon 229 


INTRODUCTION. 


OUR  first  edition  of  FUK  FARM- 
ING was  brought  out  hastily, 
to  meet  the  demand  for  infor- 
mation   on    this    subject.      At 
that  time  the  work  was  believed  to  be 
complete,    but    many    questions    which 
were  unanswered  in  the  first  edition, 
have  come  up  since,  and  have  made  it 
necessary    to    revise    the    entire    book. 
This  work  is  the  result  and  we  believe 
that  it  will  be  found  to  cover  the  sub- 
ject thoroughly. 

From  the  dawn  of  history  in  this 
country  the  fur  trade  has  been  an  im- 
portant branch  of  commerce  and  had 
much  to  do  with  the  rapid  advance  of 
discovery  and  exploration  in  the  early 
days.  But  the  extensive  trapping 
operations  since  that  time  have  sadly 
depleted  the  ranks  of  all  species  of  fur- 
bearing  animals  and  some  of  the  most 
valuable  are  rapidly  nearing  extinc- 
tion. This -is  especially  true  of  the 

(13) 


14  INTRODUCTION. 

central  and  eastern  portions  of  the 
United  States,  and  the  time  is  ap- 
proaching when  the  ever  increasing  de- 
mand for  furs  must  be  met  by  some 
way  other  than  trapping  the  wild 
animals, — but  how?  Fur  farming  ap- 
pears to  offer  the  only  solution  to  the 
problem. 

The  raising  of  furbearing  animals  is 
still  in  its  infancy,  but  many  experi- 
ments have  been  tried  out  from  time  to 
time,  and  it  is  a  proven  fact  that  if  it 
is  undertaken  and  carried  out  in  an 
intelligent  manner,  the  industry  is 
bound  to  be  successful;  and  why  not? 
All  of  our  domestic  animals  and  fowls 
were  wild  creatures  at  one  time. 

The  information  imparted  in  this 
book  is  the  result  of  the  experiments 
of  fur  farmers  in  various  parts  of  the" 
country  and  may  be  depended  on  for 
accuracy.  Some  information  was  also 
secured  from  the  United  States  govern- 
ment bulletins.  The  information  re- 
garding the  habits  of  the  wild  animals 
was  furnished  by  a  trapper  of  wide 
experience.  ^  R- HARDING. 


FUR  FARMING. 

CHAPTER  I. 

SUPPLY  AND  DEMAND. 

TOR  years  there  has  been  a  belief  that  the 
supply  of  furbearing  animals  would  soon 
be  inadequate  to  the  demand.     This  be- 
lief is  well  founded  and  is  apparent  when 
the  fact  is  known  that  the  natural  haunts  and 
homes  of  the  fur-producing  animals  are  becom- 
ing less  each  year.    The  draining  of  swamps  and 
marshes  is  destroying  the  homes  and  breeding 
places  of  muskrat  and  to  a  certain  extent  coon 
and  mink.     The   sawmill   and   clearing  of  the 
land  is  rapidly  lessening  the   natural   resorts 
of  the  coon,  bear,  wild  cat  and  opossum  in  the 
South  and  Central  States,  while  in  the  North, 
the  marten,  fisher  and  lynx  are  being  deprived 
of  their  natural  homes. 

Beavers  and  otters  do  not  like  civilization 
and  leave  on  signs  of  man  and  his  works.  This 
is  especially  true  of  beavers;  otters  linger  in 
waters  fringed  with  timber  longer  even  if  set- 
tled. 

(15) 


16  FUE   FARMING. 

Some  animals,  it  is  true,  do  well  in  fairly 
thickly-settled  sections.  Among  animals  of  this 
kind  are  red  fox,  skunk,  mink  and  niuskrat. 
Yet  no  furbearer  can  hold  its  numbers  against 
the  ever-increasing  number  of  trappers  and  the 
persistency  with  which  they  now  seek  the  fur 
producers. 

North  America  furnishes  a  large  per  cent,  of 
the  furs  of  the  world — foxes,  mink,  otter,  beaver, 
skunk,  marten,  lynx,  coon,  opossum,  muskrat, 
wolves,  etc.  Considerable  quantities  of  fine  furs 
are  still  secured  in  parts  of  Russia,  in  Europe 
and  Siberia  in  Asia;  Australia  furnishes  great 
quantities  of  opossum,  while  from  parts  of  South 
America,  the  trade  in  chinchilla  is  large.  Yet 
North  America  has  been  for  centuries,  the  great 
fur-producing  continent  and  now  that  trapping 
is  being  pressed  harder  than  ever  and  the  natural 
haunts  of  the  animals  are  becoming  less  each 
year,  the  question  is, — where  will  the  future  sup- 
ply come  from? 

There  are  practically  no  new  and  unexplored 
regions  to  trap  and  even  in  faraway  Siberia, 
which  we  are  taught  to  believe  a  land  of  wilder- 
ness and  a  fine  fur-producing  country,  reports 
say  that  furbearers  are  becoming  scarcer  each 
year.  The  regions  which  have  not  yet  been  ex- 
plored by  the  white  men,  have  for  many  years 


SUPPLY   AND   DEMAND.  17 

been  trapped  by  the  savage  inhabitants.  Fur 
traders  push  into  all  accessible  districts,  and 
the  trappers  also,  sometimes  bring  their  goods 
hundreds  of  miles  in  order  to  trade  with  the 
white  people.  South  America  produces  some 
furs,  but  the  catch  is  not  heavy,  perhaps  because 
there  is  not  much  trapping  done  there.  But  the 
furs  from  the  more  distant  regions  are,  as  a 
rule,  of  the  more  valuable  kinds,  and  cannot 
supply  the  demand  of  the  great  middle  class  of 
people,  the  largest  consumers.  Such  furs  can- 
not take  the  place  of  those  of  the  muskrat, 
skunk,  raccoon  and  opossum,  for  these  furs  are 
usually  made  up  to  imitate  the  more  expensive 
kinds.  But  as  the  supply  decreases  the  demand 
increases  at  an  equal  rate. 

Many  believe  that  by  far  the  most  of  the  furs 
come  from  the  Far  North;  this  is  erroneous.  It 
is  true  that  the  most  valuable  furs,  such  as 
silver,  black  and  cross  foxes,  lynx  and  marten, 
come  mainly  from  that  section.  Some  of  the 
best  otters,  red  foxes  and  mink  are  also  secured 
in  the  far  northern  country.  Yet  fully  one-half 
of  the  value  of  the  American  catch  of  raw  furs 
is  comprised  in  the  three  following  articles — 
skunk,  mink  and  muskrat. 

In  the  Far  North  there  will  be  foxes,  otter, 
mink,  and  marten  for  some  time  to  come.  But 


18  FUR   FARMING. 

what  about  that  part  of  the  country,  say  south 
of  the  Great  Lakes,  west  of  the  Allegheny  Moun- 
tains, north  of  the  Tennessee  and  Arkansas  Riv- 
ers and  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains? — a  section 
which  has  been  producing  about  half  of  the  furs. 

This  section  is  the  great  skunk  producing 
one  and  as  well  as  one  of  the  best  mink  and 
muskrat  sections.  It  also  furnishes  from  the 
Southern  States  within  the  area  outlined,  great 
quantities  of  coon  and  opossum.  When  those  in- 
terested in  the  fur  business  consider  that  half 
the  value  of  the  annual  catch  is  skunk,  mink, 
and  muskrat  and  that  the  best  producing  section 
has  hitherto  been  the  section  as  outlined,  one 
can  easily  see  that  the  supply  will  not  long  be 
equal  to  the  demand. 

During  recent  years,  owing  to  persistent  trap- 
ping, the  fur  producers  have  been  greatly  re- 
duced and  if  not  practically  exterminated  in 
parts  of  the  country,  are  destined  to  become 
nearly  so.  The  fact  that  skunk,  mink  and  musk- 
rat  have  been  so  greatly  reduced  in  the  past  few 
years  has  caused  those  interested  in  the  fur  in- 
dustry to  ask, — "what  of  the  future?"  with  the 
settlement  of  the  country  and  the  draining  of  the 
swamps,  clearing  of  the  forests,  etc.,  which  de- 
prives many  species  of  fur  producers  of  their 


SUPPLY    AND   DEMAND. 


19 


20  PUB   FARMING. 

natural  homes,  how  can  it  be  expected  that  the 
supply  will  last? 

That  skunk,  mink  and  muskrat  do  well  in 
settled  sections,  there  is  no  question,  but  since 
their  pelts  are  so  valuable,  more  trappers  are 
after  them  than  ever  before.  In  addition,  maga- 
zines and  books  on  the  subject  are  more  plentiful 
than  in  former  years,  so  that  the  inexperienced 
hunter  and  trapper  has  far  better  success  than  in 
past  years. 

There  is  always  a  cash  market  for  raw  furs 
and  since  the  discovery  of  America,  raw  furs 
have  been  an  important  article  of  commerce. 
In  the  early  days,  beaver  was  the  leading  article 
and  even  at  this  date  thousands  of  skins  are 
secured  annually  by  the  professional  trapper  in 
the  swamps  of  the  South  and  along  the  streams 
and  lakes  of  the  North.  Scattered  throughout 
the  South,  Kocky  Mountain  sections,  Northern 
Canada  and  parts  of  the  East,  are  several 
thousand  professional  hunters  and  trappers 
whose  annual  catch,  amounts  to  several  hundred 
dollars  each.  The  aggregate  of  these  men,  foots 
up  to  perhaps  $3,000,000  or  |4,000,000.  In 
the  settled  sections  are  tens  of  thousands  of  boys 
and  amateur  trappers  with  here  and  there  a  pro- 
fessional. The  annual  catch  of  these  foot  up  to 
perhaps  $6,000,000  to  $8,000,000,  or  double  the 


SUPPLY   AND   DEMAND.  21 

catch  of  the  professionals  who  leave  civilization 
in  September  and  are  not  seen  again  until  May 
or  June. 

It  is  this  class  (boys  and  amateurs)  that  se- 
cures the  greatest  quantities  of  fur  and  as  the 
number  of  trappers  is  so  large  and  the  grounds 
necessarily  limited,  here  is  where  the  animals 
are  rapidly  decreasing  and  at  the  present  rate 
are  in  danger  of  extermination.  In  some  sec- 
tions there  has  been  a  wonderful  falling  off  in 
the  catch  of  late  years,,  although  the  number  of 
trappers  is  larger. 

An  industry  paying  the  hunter  and  trapper 
probably  $15,000,000  yearly  is  one  that  should 
receive  attention.  At  the  present  rate  of  exter- 
mination, some  of  the  fur  bearers  are  destined 
to  soon  follow  in  the  wake  of  the  buffalo.  The 
demand  for  furs  is  increasing  as  the  population 
of  the  world  is  becoming  more  and  more.  Again 
furs  are  being  put  to  more  uses  than  ever.  While 
the  demand  for  furs  is  increasing,  what  of  the 
supply?  The  day,  perhaps,  is  not  far  in  the  dis- 
tance when  the  demand  will  call  for  two  or 
three  times  as  many  furs  as  today.  Where  are 
they  to  come  from?  The  natural  supply  is  surely 
diminishing. 

The  matter  of  "Supply  and  Demand"  is  one 
that  there  is  considerable  difference  of  opinion 


22  FUR  FARMING. 

upon.  Hunters  and  trappers,  as  a  rule,  are  of 
one  opinion  and  that  is  that  the  number  of  pelts 
secured  upon  a  certain  territory  is  becoming  less 
each  year.  Trappers  going  over  their  lines  are 
surely  the  ones  who  know  whether  the  fur  is 
holding  out  or  not. 

The  number  of  persons  seeking  fur  is  larger 
each  year.  In  localities  furnishing  as  much  fur 
as  ever,  the  chances  are  that  the  number  of  ani- 
mals left  for  breeding  is  less  each  year.  If  such 
is  true  the  day  when  these  localities  will  show  a 
falling  off  in  the  receipts  is  not  far  in  the  dis- 
tance. 

Until .  recently,  many  dealers  and  manufac- 
turers believed  that  the  supply  of  wild  fur-bear- 
ing animals  was  practically  inexhaustible — that 
when  wanted,  trappers  would  go  out  into  the 
"wilds,"  catch,  skin  and  send  the  pelts  to  mar- 
ket. These  people  are  beginning  to  awaken  to 
the  true  situation  and  while  they  send  out  price 
lists,  circulars,  and  traveling  buyers  after  raw 
furs,  they  say  it  is  much  harder  to  secure  the 
goods  wanted  than  formerly. 

A  well  known  dealer  in  Minneapolis  in  siz- 
ing up  the  situation,  says :  "With  the  vast  fund 
of  information  about  trapping  being  sent  out  and 
with  improved  traps  for  catching  and  the  great 
stimulus  to  trapping  owing  to  high  prices,  in  five 


SUPPLY   AND  DEMAND.  23 

to  ten  years,  there  will  not  be  one-fourth  to  one- 
half  the  furbearers  that  there  are  now,  unless 
stringent  laws  are  enacted  to  curtail  the  trap- 
ping. 

"Under  proper  conditions,  with  intelligent 
care,  no  doubt,  raising  fur  animals  can  be  made 
to  pay.  The  raiser  starting  on  a  small  scale  and 
increasing  as  their  knowledge  increases.  Most 
all  successful  business  is  built  up  by  starting 
small." 

The  dealer  who  wrote  the  above  advertises 
quite  extensively  for  furs.  The  territory  tribu- 
tary to  that  city  has  always  been  considered  a 
good  fur  producing  one.  During  recent  years, 
the  supply  has  fallen  off  materially  in  face  of 
the  fact  of  improved  trapping  methods  and  a 
greatly  increased  number  of  persons  seeking  the 
furbearers.  The  same  conditions  are  true  to  a 
greater  or  less  degree  in  many  parts  of  the 
country. 

The  American  people,  however,  can  be  de- 
pended upon  to  meet  all  emergencies.  They  have 
already  set  about  to  provide  for  the  future  raw 
fur  supply  by  raising  the  animals.  As  early  as 
1884,  experiments  were  made  at  raising  foxes  on 
the  islands  in  the  Northern  Pacific  Ocean,  along 
the  coast  of  British  Columbia  and  Alaska.  The 
experiments,  as  a  rule,  proved  successful  and 


24  FUR   FARMING. 

there  has  been  for  years  a  number  of  successful 
fox  raisers  on  the  islands  of  the  North  Pacific. 
More  will  be  said  about  them  elsewhere. 

In  various  parts  of  North  America,  experi- 
ments have  been  made,  principally  with  skunk, 
although  a  few  have  tried  mink  and  other 
animals  but  only  in  a  small  way,  or  by  men  who 
expected  to  get  rich  quick  and  who  did  not  give 
the  enterprise  the  care  and  attention  that  is 
necessary  to  make  a  success  at  any  business. 


CHAPTER  II. 

WHAT  ANIMALS  TO  RAISE. 

CHERE  is  a  bright  future  to  "Fur  Farm- 
ing."    The  person  who  knows  something 
of  the  habits  of  the  animal  or  animals 
that  they  expect  to  raise,  will  be  the  suc- 
cessful ones.    A  person  who  has  always  lived  in 
the  city  would  not  be  likely  to  make  a  success  at 
general  farming  or  fruit  raising.    The  same  ap- 
plies to  fur  farming.     The  person  who  has  fol- 
lowed hunting  and  trapping  or  the  farmer  who 
has  given  attention  to  furbearing  animals  are 
the  ones  most  apt  to  be  successful. 

Foxes,  no  doubt,  will  be  animals  that  the 
majority  would  like  to  begin  with,  especially  the 
more  valuable  species,  as  black,  silver,  and 
cross.  These  for  breeding  purposes,  of  course, 
can  be  secured,  but  the  present  raisers  do  not 
seem  to  care  to  sell  any  of  their  stock,  unless  at 
good  round  figures.  They  want  to  further  in- 
crease their  own  numbers. 

A  good  many  attempts  were  made  at  raising 
skunks,  a  number  of  years  ago,  most  of  which 
were  failures.  Some  entered  the  business  on  u 

(25) 


26  FUR   FARMING. 

large  scale,  knowing  nothing  of  the  animals,  and 
of  course  failed;  others  "penned  up"  a  few 
skunks  and  as  they  were  not  properly  cared  for, 
failure  was  the  result. 

The  advanced  price  for  skunk  skins  in  recent 
years,  has  caused  a  revival  in  their  raising. 
This  time,  an  entirely  different  class  of  people 
are  taking  up  the  work,  and  they  are  going  to 
succeed.  Why?  Because  they  know  something 
of  the  animal  and  are  going  at  the  business  in 
a  calm  and  business-like  way. 

Mink,  at  present  prices,  look  good  to  the  fur- 
farmer.  They  are  small  animals  but  yield  a  pelt 
worth  from  |3  to  |7,  depending  upon  the  size 
and  color.  Raccoon  and  opossum  are  compared 
with  many  furbearing  animals  as  producers  of 
cheap  furs.  This  is  true,  but  at  the  same  time, 
they  offer  the  most  promising  future  for  the  fur- 
farmer  in  many  localities.  They  are  easily 
raised,  and  in  addition  to  their  fur,  the  carcass 
finds  a  ready  sale  in  most  cities. 

Opossum  and  coon  will  not  dig  deep,  seeking 
escape,  but  are  good  climbers,  and  considerable 
precaution  should  be  taken  to  see  that  the  wire 
netting  is  either  extended  in  several  feet  at  the 
top,  or  that  a  strip  of  tin  a  couple  of  feet  wide 
is  fastened  to  the  posts  some  three  feet  from  the 
ground. 


WHAT  ANIMALS  TO  RAISE.  2? 

The  fur-farmer,  should  the  market  be  low 
for  certain  animals,  can  keep  over ;  or  the  better 
plan  would  no  doubt  be  to  kill  off  the  surplus 
males  and  perhaps  some  females.  At  such  times 
do  not  make  the  mistake  of  killing  off  too 
closely,  as  some  will  do,  claiming  that  the  fur 
is  low  and  that  there  is  no  need  of  trying  to 
increase.  Nine  times  in  ten,  this  is  the  time  to 
raise  as  many  as  possible,  for  by  another  season, 
that  particular  article  is  likely  to  be  in  demand. 

To  illustrate :  In  the  winter  of  1908-09,  No. 
1  skunks  from  northern  and  eastern  sections 
were  wrorth  $2.00,  while  the  following  winter 
the  same  skins  were  bringing  just  twice  this 
figure.  If  the  skunk  raisers  who  sold  off  their 
stock  at  low  prices  because  the  prospect  was  not 
bright,  had  gone  ahead  they  would  have  had  a 
heavy  crop  of  fur  to  market  at  high  prices  by 
January,  1910. 

Had  the  opossum  raiser,  during  the  com- 
paratively low  prices  for  this  fur  in  1908  and 
1909,  sold  off  his  breeding  stock,  he  would  not 
have  had  a  supply  when  the  prices  advanced  in 
January,  1910. 

Some  farmers  make  the  mistake  of  selling 
off  all  their  stock  when  prices  ease  up,  expect- 
ing to  go  into  the  raising  again  when  a  reaction 
takes  place.  This  is  not  the  way  to  make  the 


28  FUR   FARMING*. 

most  money ;  when  a  reaction  comes,  other  farm- 
ers who  have  continued  raising  this  certain 
animal,  reap  the  harvest,'  selling  to  the  market 
or  to  their  neighbors  at  high  prices. 

The  prices  paid  for  the  various  articles 
show  about  what  the  grower  may  expect  for 
his  "crop."  The  demand,  of  course,  will  have 
much  to  do  with  the  price.  Fashion  is  con- 
stantly changing,  but  indications  are  that  o wing- 
to  diminishing  supply  and  increased  consump- 
tion, prices  will  be  on  a  fairly  high  level  always. 
Trappers  and  hunters  often  catch  fur  too  early 
and  as  a  consequence  have  blue  pelts,  which  are 
graded  down.  In  the  spring  shedders  and 
rubbed  skins  are  secured,  which  are  sold  as  No. 
2  or  lower.  With  the  fur  farmer  there  will  be 
no  early  caught  blue  skins  or  late  caught  spring 
and  shedders.  The  animals  will  be  killed  when 
prime,  and  will  bring  best  prices. 

Some  reports  from  those  who  have  experi- 
mented in  a  small  way  at  raising  fur  animals  is 
to  the  effect  that  they  do  not  fur  properly.  This 
is  true  in  regard  to  skunk,  when  kept  in  a  box 
or  a  small  enclosure  for  weeks  and  fed  largely 
on  meat.  The  writer,  when  a  fur  buyer,  has 
bought  skunk  that  had  been  kept  in  a  "pen"  or 
small  enclosure  for  weeks,  and  in  addition  to 


WHAT  ANIMALS  TO  RAISE.  29 

being  thinly  furred,  the  hide  was  much  thicker 
than  it  should  have  been. 

Indians  and  professional  hunters  and  trap- 
pers of  the  North  say  that  they  can  notice  a 
difference  in  the  fur  of  foxes,  lynx,  marten,  etc., 
when  the  food  supply  is  abundant.  The  fur  is 
thicker  and  has  a  healthier,  silkier  and  glossier 
appearance.  The  secret,  no  doubt,  is  to  give  the 
animals  plenty  of  room,  and  feed  should  be 
varied.  Here  is  where  a  knowledge  of  the  habits 
of  the  animal  or  animals  one  is  raising,  is 
valuable.  When  cattle,  sheep  and  hogs'  are  fed 
properly,  they  take  on  fat  readity,  and  produce 
a  healthy  coat  of  hair  or  wool.  The  same  ap- 
plies to  the  furbearing  animal. 

What  animals  offer  the  greatest  induce- 
ments to  prospective  raisers?  This  is  a  question 
that  each  individual  going  into  the  business 
must  largely  decide.  The  place  you  have  in  view 
for  the  starting  of  the  farm  will  have  much  to 
do  with  this.  Is  the  location  one  best  adapted 
to  skunk,  mink,  coon,  fox,  muskrat,  or  some 
other  furbearer?  Again,  your  experience 
should  be  taken  into  consideration, — what  fur- 
bearers  you  are  most  familiar  with.  If  you  live 
near  a  large  city  which  offers  a  market  for  coon 
and  opossum  carcasses,  this  should  be  con- 
sidered, as  these  animals  are  easy  to  raise  and 


30  tfufc  FARMING. 

opossums  especially  are  very  prolific,  producing 
from  six  to  twelve  at  a  litter.  While  the  fur  of 
coon  and  opossum  will  never  be  very  valuable, 
yet,  as  both  fur  and  carcass  have  a  cash  value, 
they  will  prove  greater  money  makers  than 
many  believe.  Muskrats  are  another  animal 
that  should  not  be  overlooked,  as  they  increase 
rapidly,  and  their  flesh  is  now  being  sold  in 
many  of  the  larger  cities. 

Marten  and  silver  fox  should  not  be  raised 
in  the  South,  as  they  are  animals  that  do  best  in 
the  cold  sections.  Otter  and  mink  are  two 
animals  whose  fur  is  faded  by  the  sun,  and  as 
the  darker  the  fur,  the  more  valuable,  it  is  im- 
portant that  as  little  sun  as  possible  shines  upon 
them.  For  this  reason  it  is  advisable  to  have 
the  enclosure  for  these  animals  in  the  woods  or 
thicket;  in  fact,  some  trees  should  be  in  enclos- 
ures for  all  animals.  If  raising  coon  or  opos- 
sum, they  will  be  "at  home"  in  the  trees,  while 
other  animals  will  enjoy  the  shade  in  the  sum- 
mer and  will  make  use  of  the  leaves  in  the  dens 
for  winter. 

There  are  some  animals,  such  as  marten, 
fisher,  wild  cat,  weasel,  badger  and  wolves,  that 
do  not  seem  promising  to  us  to  raise  for  various 
reasons.  Marten  do  best  in  the  high  mountain 
sections;  fisher  and  wild  cat  would  be  hard  to 


WHAT   ANIMALS  TO   RAISE.  31 

keep  in  an  enclosure ;  weasel  and  badger  are  not 
valuable  and  would  both  be  difficult  to  keep  in ; 
wolves  are  not  valuable  for  fur  and  would  re- 
quire considerable  attention  and  food,  hence, 
not  desirable  to  raise.  In  most  states  there  is 
a  bounty  on  wolf  and  coyote  scalps,  but  the 
raising  of  them  for  the  bounty  would  not  work 
— the  bounty  would  not  be  paid  if  county  offi- 
cials knew  from  what  source  they  came. 

Among  the  animals  promising  the  best  for 
raising  are  the  black,  silver,  cross  and  red  fox, 
skunk,  mink,  coon,  opossum  and  muskrat.  The 
otter,  beaver  and  lynx  under  certain  conditions 
may  be  well  worth  considering,  especially  lynx 
at  present  value. 

Of  late  years  the  prices  of  raw  furs  have 
been  forced  higher  and  higher;  as  a  conse- 
quence, the  recent  drop.  But  it  is  pleasing  to 
note  that  although  the  prices  are  considerably 
lower  than  last  fall,  they  have  not  gone  as  low 
as  they  were  several  years  ago.  We  think  that 
fur  in  general  will  maintain  high  prices  and 
most  kinds  will  gradually  increase  in  value  as 
the  animals  producing  them  become  scarcer, 
but  whenever  the  price  is  forced  up  too  high, 
there  is  bound  to  be  a  reaction. 

Suppose  thousands  engaged  in  the  business 
of  raising  foxes,  skunks,  mink,  coons,  opossums 


32  PUR   FARMING.  • 

and  muskrats,  what  effect  would  it  have  upon 
the  market?  Would  they  overstock  it?  How 
many  hundreds  of  thousands  of  persons  are  to- 
day raising  cotton  and  wool  to  furnish  clothing 
to  the  millions  of  people  and  there  has  always 
been  a  market.  The  same  will  be  the  case  with 
fur.  In  fact,  unless  thousands  engage 'in  the 
fur-raising  business,  the  demand  is  going  to  far 
exceed  the  supply  at  no  distant  day. 

Furs  in  the  North  are  a  necessity,  as  no 
cloth  will  repel  the  piercing  winds.  Teamsters 
and  others  much  out  of  doors  wear  fur  over- 
coats and  caps,  and  use  fur  laprobes.  Farther 
south,  say  in  the  latitude  of  New  York,  Pitts- 
burg,  Denver,  etc.,  while  furs  are  not  an  abso- 
lute necessity,  yet  they  are  much  worn  for  com- 
fort. In  all  the  cities  of  the  North,  furs  are 
worn  eight  or  nine  months  in  the  year;  in  the 
central  section,  perhaps  six  months;  while  in 
the  South  only  a  few  months.  In  addition  to 
this,  American  furs  are  worn  in  all  civilized 
countries  of  the  world. 

The  farmer  or  stock  raiser,  as  a  rule,  who 
is  making  the  most  money,  is  the  one  who  raises, 
not  horses,  cattle,  sheep,  or  swine  alone,  but 
often  two  or  more  of  them.  The  same  can  be 
applied  to  fur  farming.  Suppose  an  enclosure 
of  a  few  acres  is  made  for  skunks,  why  not  take 


WHAT   ANIMALS   TO   RAISE.  33 

in  a  pond  and  raise  muskrats,  coons,  fish,  and 
frogs.  There  is  a  ready  market  in  all  cities  for 
fresh  fish  and  frogs. 

The  farmer  that  raises  sheep  not  only  sells 
the  wool,  but  fattens  and  sells  some  of  the 
lambs.,  wethers,  or  old  ewes  from  time  to  time. 
The  farmer  is  in  the  business  to  make  the  most 
out  of  it,  and  such  will  be  the  case  with  the  fur- 
farmer.  In  the  cities  there  is  a  demand  for  the 
carcasses  of  coon  and  opossum  at  prices  ranging 
from  25  to  75  cents  for  coons,  and  10  to  50  cents 
for  opossums,  depending  upon  the  size  of  the 
carcass,  as  well  as  the  'city  in  which  you  are 
marketing.  In  New  York,  Boston,  Philadelphia 
and  Baltimore,  there  is  a  ready  sale  for  all  coon 
and  opossum  carcasses  at  good  prices.  Other 
cities  that  use  large  quantities  are  Buffalo, 
Cleveland,  Pittsburg,  Detroit,  Chicago,  and  Mil- 
waukee. There  is  no  city  of  any  size  north  of 
the  Ohio  River,  but  offers  a  market.  St.  Louis, 
Louisville,  and  other  southern  cities,  being  near 
the  coon  and  opossum  producing  sections,  do 
not  offer  so  good  a  market.  Muskrats  are  now 
served  as  "marsh  rabbit"  in  Baltimore  and 
other  cities.  The  trapper  realizing  from  5  to 
10  cents  each. 

With  the  exception  of  muskrats,  furbearing 

3 


34  PUR  FARMING. 

animals  breed  only  once  a  year,  unless  the  first 
litter  are  killed  or  die.,  when  another  is  some- 
times born,  and  it  might  be  said,  such  is  fre 
quently  the  case.  The  number  that  the  various 
animals  produce  in  a  litter  is  given  in  the  chap- 
ter dealing  with  the  animal. 

Raising  furbearers  may  be  compared  with 
raising  bees  for  honey. 

Not  all  of  those  who  have  gone  into  the  busi- 
ness of  raising  bees  are  successful,  yet  how 
few  failures  are  there  among  men  who  began  in 
a  small  way,  learning  more  of  the  business,  and 
gradually  increasing  the  number  of  hives  in 
their  apiary. 

One  thing  is  important,  and  that  is,  get  the 
animals  accustomed  to  their  keeper  as  soon  as 
possible.  The  old  will  be  wild  for  some  time, 
but  the  young  soon  become  tame.  Skunk  and 
coon  are  easily  tamed  and  even  beaver,  otter, 
and  mink  have  become  so  tame  when  secured 
young,  that  children  have  safely  handled  them. 

A  man  who  has  been  in  the  fur  farming  in- 
dustry for  years,  in  response  to  the  inquiry, 
"Will  the  business  pay?"  says:  "Yes,  it  will 
pay  the  right  man  big  dividends  on  the  capital 
invested."  The  right  man  is  one  who  has 
natural  aptitude  for  this  sort  of  work,  and  who 
is  "cut  out"  for  fur  farming.  If  he  has  a  liking 


WHAT   ANIMALS   TO   RAISE.  35 

for  this  sort  of  work,  he  will  study  the  nature 
and  requirements  of  the  animals  and  attend 
carefully  to  their  every  want. 

Fur  farming  as  an  industry  is  only  in  its 
infancy,  in  fact,  not  begun.  The  future  looks 
bright  to  those  who  engage  in  the  business  in 
a  business  way.  To  those  who  expect  to  make 
a  fortune  at  the  business  in  a  year  or  two,  we 
predict  failure,  but  to  all  who  are  willing  to  go 
at  the  industry  intelligently,  building  a  sub- 
stantial enclosure,  paying  the  same  careful  at- 
tention to  the  feed  and  care  of  their  fur  animals 
that  they  would  to  other  "stock,"  to  get  the  best 
results,  far  more  than  ordinary  profits  should 
result. 

To  all  others  who  are  desirous  of  trying  the 
raising  of  furbearers  for  profit  we  say:  read 
this  book  carefully — study  it, — and  then  if  you 
feel  that  you  can  make  it  a  paying  business, 
make  a  small  enclosure  and  try  a  half  dozen 
animals.  By  the  end  of  a  year  or  two,  you  will 
know  whether  you  are  going  to  like  it;  whether 
you  can  make  a  success  of.  it  or  not,  and  will 
have  acquired  a  lot  of  very  necessary  knowledge 
regarding  the  animals,  that  could  not  have  been 
obtained  in  any  other  .way.  You  will  know 
then  whether  to  go  ahead  or  not.,  and  if  the  for- 
mer, you  will  also  know  how. 


CHAPTER  III. 

,      ENCLOSURES. 

CHE  enclosure  for  a  fur  farm  is  one  of  the 
most  important  things  for  the  beginner 
to  consider,  for  if  it  is  not  properly  con- 
structed, his  labor  is  all  for  naught.    We 
have  heard  of  parties  going  to  a  great  expense 
to  procure  the  animals  and  construct  a  fence  to 
hold  them  and  because  the  fence  was  not  built. 
011  the  right  lines,  the  animals  escaped. 

Some  of  the  first  experimenters  dug  a  trench 
from  2  to  3  feet  deep,  placed  in  it  rocks  or 
boards,  on  edge,  on  top  of  which  they  con- 
structed a  fence  of  boards  from  4  to  7  feet  high 
and  surmounted  it  with  a  wide  board,  project- 
ing inward,  to  prevent  the  animals  from  climb- 
ing over.  This  appeared  to  be  all  right  at  first, 
but  experiments  proved  it  otherwise.  Nearly 
all  furbearing  animals  are  given  to  gnawing, 
more  or  less,  especially  when  in  captivity,  mid 
in  case  there  is  a  weak  spot  in  the  fence  it  was 
found  that  they  were  likely  to  gnaw  a  hole 
through  and  escape. 

The   conclusions   arrived   at    after   abundant 
(36) 


ENCLOSURES.  37 

experimenting  were  that  only  fences  of  galva- 
nized woven  wire  are  practical.  Of  course  there 
are  many  things  to  be  considered,  such  as  the 
kind  of  animals  one  is  raising,  and  their  ability 
to  climb,  jump  and  gnaw,  the  climatic  condi- 
tions, such  as  deep  snows  which  may  drift 
against  the  fence,  and  many  other  things.  In 
general,  we  will  say  that  the  outside  fence 
should  be  7  feet  high  to  prevent  the  animals 
from  escaping  and  to  keep  dogs  and  other  de- 
structive animals  from  entering.  This  applies 
to  all  kinds  of  fur  animal  farming.  The  size  of 
mesh  and  weight  of  wire  to  use  will  depend  on 
the  kind  of  animals  you  are  enclosing. 

For  foxes,  coons,  and  other  animals  of 
similar  size  and  strength,  the  netting  should  be 
of  14  or  16  gauge,  and  the  mesh  two  inches. 
This  kind  of  fencing  will  cost  about  $2.90  per 
rod,  9  feet  wide.  The  extra  2  feet  are  to  go 
mi<I<>r  ground,  as  described  elsewhere  in  this 
chapter. 

For  skunks,  muskrats,  and  opossums,  the 
material  may  be  10  or  17  gauge  wire,  1|  inch 
mesh.  For  widths  aggregating  9  feet  the  cost 
will  be  about  #3.15  per  rod,  not  including  posts, 
etc. 

For  mink,  a  1-inch  mesh  is  advised  and  the 
wire  may  be  18  gauge.  This  will  cost  about  |3 


38  FUR   FARMING. 

per  rod.  Of  course,  it  will  be  understood  that 
this  is  only  the  price  of  the  netting  and  that 
there  will  be  the 'additional  cost  of  posts  and 
railings,  sheet  tin  or  boards  for  on  top  of  the 
fence,  nails  and  staples.  The  prices  charged 
for  the  wire  netting  are  also  variable  and  the 
above  figures  are  only  the  approximate  cost. 
Lighter  weights  of  wire  come  much  lower. 

The  posts  should  be  10  feet  long  and  should 
average  about  7  inches  in  diameter.  As  one  will 
not  want  to  be  making  a  new  fence  within  a 
couple  of  years,  he  should  select  durable  wood 
for  the  posts.  The  most  lasting  woods  are  wal- 
nut, butternut,  long-leaved  yellow  pine,  all 
kinds  .of  oak  (except  red,  black,  water,  pin  and 
swamp  oaks),  chesnut,  locust,  cypress  and 
cedar.  Of  these  the  four  last  are  probably  in  the 
lead,  as  regards  durability.  The  posts  should 
be  peeled  of  the  bark,  and  the  knots  and  top 
painted  to  prevent  the  ingress  of  water,  which 
causes  decay.  It  is  also  well  to  char  about  3 
feet  of  the  bottom  end  to  prevent  decay  under- 
ground. 

,  What  is  commonly  considered  the  most 
satisfactory  fence  is  made  by  digging  a  trench 
two  feet  deep,  in  which  the  posts  are  planted, 
they  being  set  one  foot  deeper  or  three  feet  deep, 
counting  from  the  surface.  The  posts  should  bi> 


ENCLOSURES. 


39 


about  8  feet  apart,  never  more  than  10  feet,  and 
the  corner  posts  should  be  well  braced  as  shown 
in  the  drawing.  The  wire  should  be  tightly 
drawn  and  should  be  stapled  about  every  second 
mesh.  The  netting  must  come  to  the  bottom  of 


This   Shows  the  Mode  of   Constructing  the   Outside   Fence, 
With  Board  or  Sheet-tin  at  the  Top,  and  Stones 
at  the  Bottom,  Under  Ground. 


the  trench  and  a  layer  of  flat  stones  should  be 
placed  at  the  bottom  to  prevent  the  animals 
from  digging  out.  The  trench  should  then  be 
filled  with  dirt.  Cross  strips  must  be  nailed 
solidly  to  the  tops  of  the  posts,  projecting  in- 


40  FUR    FARMING. 

ward,  and  either  a  wide  board  nailed  on  it  or 
sheet  tin  placed  there  to  prevent  the  animals 
from  crawling  over.  Another  method  much 
used  is  to  turn  the  wire  inward  at  the  top  as 
shown.  In  some  ways  this  is  more  satisfactory, 
especially  in  that  it  will  not  hold  snow,  but  on 
the  other  hand  the  tin  appears  to  be  best  to  pre- 
vent the  animals  from  escaping.  Some  people 
place  the  strip  of  tin  in  a  vertical  position  on 
the  wire,  about  4  feet  from  the  ground.  We  do 
not  think  this  as  good  a  method  as  the  others. 

On  investigation  it  will  be  found  that  the 
wire  netting  cannot  be  obtained  in  9  feet  widths, 
but  it  may  be  purchased  in  5  and  4  feet  widths 
and  the  two  sizes  may  be  combined  and  the 
edges  fastened  together  by  means  of  short  pieces 
of  wire. 

The  corner  posts  should  be  two  times  the 
diameter  of  the  others  and  they  should  be 
set  more  firmly  in  the  ground,  five  feet  being 
about  right.  This  will  necessitate  longer  posts 
for  the  corners.  All  posts  should  be  of  well 
seasoned  wood. 

The  proper  size  of  an  enclosure  depends  on 
the  number  and  kinds  of  animals  you  intend  to 
start  with  and  we  give  herewith  some  dimen- 
sions which  will  be  helpful,  at  least.  As  the 
size  is  usually  designated  in  acres  or  fractions 


ENCLOSURES.  41 

thereof,  or  in  square  rods,  many  of  us  find  it 
necessary  to  brush  up  a  little  on  land  measure- 
ments, and  to  make  these  dimensions  clear  at 
first  reading  we  give  here  the  size  of  an  acre  of 
land  in  different  proportions  of  length  and 
width. 

An  acre  consists  of  1GO  square  rods,  and  a 
square  rod  measures,  when  laid  out  in  a  square, 
16|  feet  or  5J  yards  on  eacli  of  its  four  sides, 
and  contains  30J  square  yards.  A  rectangular 
piece  of  land,  2  rods  wide  and  80  rods  long,  is 
an  acre.  Twice  this  width  and  half  the  length 
also  makes  an  acre.  A  piece  8  x  20  rods,  or 
10  x  16  rods,  measures  the  same  —  one  acre. 

Some  animals  may  be  crowded  more  than 
others,  for  instance,  a  dozen  muskrats,  or  8 
skunks  or  2  foxes,  would  each  require  about  the 
same  amount  of  room.  As  beginners  are  most 
likely  to  start  in  the  fur  raising  industry  with 
a  small  number  of  animals,  and  we  consider  this 
the  proper  way,  they  will  want  to  know  some- 
thing about  the  size  of  an  enclosure  for  small 
numbers. 

For  10  skunks  or  less  and  their  offspring  the 
first  year  we  suggest  an  enclosure  measuring 
about  3  rods  wide  by  4  rods  long  or  12  square 
rods.  This  will  even  answer  for  a  much  larger 
number,  but  we  do  not  believe  in  crowding.  For 


42 


FUR   FARMING. 


20  skunks  and  the  first  year's  young  the  en- 
closure should  measure  about  4  rods  in  width 
by  5  in  length. 


A  Fence  With  Turned-in  Top,  Supported  with  Wooden 
framework. 


Opossums  will  probably  stand  more  crowd- 
ing than  any  other  animal,  and  the  enclosures 
for  the  numbers  given  above  may  be  smaller. 

Foxes,  on  the  other  hand,  will  require  more 


ENCLOSURES.  43 

room,  and  for  ten  animals  the  enclosure  should 
be  |  acre  at  least,  £  would  be  better. 

To  enclose  a  certain  amount  of  ground  with 
the  smallest  number  of  rods  of  fencing  possible, 
the  plat  or  ground  to  be  enclosed  should  be  in 
a  square.  The  additional  cost  to  enclose  an 
acre,  say  20  rods  long  by  8  wide,  would  be  ma- 
terial for  6  additional  rods.  To  fully  illustrate, 
an  acre  fenced  in  a  square  would  be  12^  rods  on 
each  side,  or  50  rods;  if  20  rods  long,  the  two 
sides  would  be  40  rods,  and  the  ends  8  each  or 
16  rods,  making  a  total  of  56  rods. 

While  the  cost  of  enclosing  an  oblong  piece 
of  ground  would  be  a  few  dollars  more  than  if 
square,  this  should  not  stand  in  the  way  if  the 
oblong  piece  of  ground  would  make  a  better 
home  for  your  furbearing  animals. 

If  one  only  desires  to  experiment  with  a  few 
animals  and  has  the  material  on  hand,  he  may 
make  a  fence  of  boards,  but  it  should  not  be  de- 
pended on  for  long.  As  before  stated,  some  of 
the  earliest  experimenters  used  board  fences, 
but  where  there  were  cracks,  or  the  sap  or  bark 
on  the  edges  rotted,  affording  the  animals  a 
place  to  gnaw,  they  soon  found  a  way  out.  This 
had  to  be  guarded  against  where  the  boards  ex- 
tended into  the  ground,  as  they  often  rotted 
there,  so  that  there  was  always  danger  of  the 


44  FUll    FARMING. 

animals  escaping.  Where  stones  were  set  up 
edgewise  or  cement  used,  it  was  rather  expen- 
sive and  as  galvanized  wire  lasts  well  either  in 
the  ground,  where  not  exposed  to  the  air,  or 
being  galvanized,  it  stands  the  elements  well, 
it  seems  to  mee,t  the  requirements  of  the  fur 
farmer  for  fencing  or  enclosure  purposes. 

The  proper  site  for  a  fur  farm  is  very  im- 
portant. For  most  animals  the  ground  should 
be  dry  and  a  sandy  or  gravelly  soil  is  best. 
There  should  be  some  trees,  no  matter  what 
animals  you  are  experimenting  with,  and  espe- 
cially if  they  are  coons  or  opossums.  There 
must  also  be  some  means  of  supplying  pure 
drinking  water,  and  a  small  stream  of  running 
water  is  best,  but  a  spring,  or  even  piped  well 
water  .will  answer  for  most  animals. 

The  persons  who  expect  to  make  "fur  farm- 
ing" a  business,  can  begin  in  a  small  way  and 
same  need  not  interfere  with  other  work  to  a 
great  extent.  Year  after  year,  as  they  learn 
more  of  the  business,  they  can  enlarge  the 
grounds.  Trappers,  hunters  and  others  who 
from  experience  know  much  of  the  animals,  will 
no  doubt  be  the  most  successful  from  the  start. 
One  party  writes  to  knowr  if  skunks,  foxes, 
opossums,  and  mink  can  be  successfully  raised 
in  the  same  enclosure.  If  he  means  allowed  to 


ENCLOSURES.  45 

run  together,  they  can  not.  If  lie  means  the 
same  outside  enclosure,  with  separate  apart- 
ments for  the  various  animals,  there  is  no  rea- 
son why  such  a  scheme  should  not  be  successful, 
as  there  will  be  advantages  in  such  a  plan. 
Coons,  opossums  and  skunks  will  all  do  well 
together.  Beavers  and  otters,  apparently,  live 
peaceably  for  weeks  in  the  same  beaver  lodge  or 
house. 

First,  an  enclosure  of  four  acres  can  be  built 
much  cheaper  than  four  separate  enclosures  of 
one  acre  each.  To  enclose  four  one-acre  en- 
closures would  require  200  rods  of  fencing — 50 
rods  for  each.  The  four  acres  in  one  enclosure 
would  be  only  about  half,  or  100  rods.  A  square 
25  rods  on  each  side  would  be  almost  4  acres. 
Should  the  fur-farmer  wish  to  subdivide  this 
into  four  tracts,  a  fence  through  the  middle 
each  way  would  take  25  rods  additional,  or  50 
rods  for  both  ways.  This  fencing  need  not  be 
so  high  or  so  secure  as  the  outside  one.  Should 
animals  manage  to  get  into  another  part  of  the 
four-acre  enclosure,  they  would  still  not  be  at 
liberty,  although  they  might  kill  or  injure  some 
of  the  other  species  before  being  discovered  by 
the  owner. 

Where  is  the  farmer  who  would  expect  to 
make  a  success  of  raising  horses,  cattle  or  sheep 


46  FUR    FARMING. 

by  keeping  them  in  a  small  pen  and  feeding 
them  foods  not  to  their  liking  or  nature?  Yet, 
such  has  been  the  case  with  some  of  those  who 
have  tried  fur  animal  raising.  They  made  a 
failure  of  it  and  no  one  who  is  at  all  familiar 
with  furbearing  animals  is  surprised.  Those 
who  will  be  successful  at  fur  farming  are  trap- 
pers, hunters  and  farmers  who  know  something 
of  the  animal  or  animals  they  expect  to  raise — 
those  who  love  the  animal  and  have  a  desire  for 
the  business. 

The  ox,  horse  and  sheep  were  all  wild  at  one 
time,  but  they  have  become  domesticated.  Why 
not  the  same  with  the  furbearers?  This  is 
exactly  what  should  be  done.  Skunks,  espe- 
cially, are  very  easily  domesticated.,  and  other 
furbearers,  such  as  coons,  mink  and  opossums, 
soon  lose  much  of  their  fear. 

When  the  raiser  learns  this  and  furnishes 
a  large  enclosure  with  dens  and  food  similar  to 
that  which  they  get  when  in  their  wild  state, 
they  will  be  on  the  road  to  success.  As  one 
raiser  says:  "They  do  well  in  a  semi-wild 
state."  If  the  enclosure  is  too  small,  fleas,  ticks, 
and  other  parasites  are  a  great  enemy  to  the 
animals.  In  a  large  enclosure  the  animals  are 
more  "at  home,"  although  at  first  they  are  rest- 
less and  will  walk  around  seeking  a  way  to 


ENCLOSURES.  47 

escape,  that  is,  they  try  to  escape  at  night.  They 
are  seldom,  if  ever,  seen  during  the  day  when 
first  let  loose  in  the  enclosure;  they  generally 
go  into  the  first  den  that  has  been  prepared  for 
them. 

Water  is  important.  If  you  are  raising 
skunks,  foxes  or  opossums,  water  for  drinking 
is  all  that  is  required ;  the  same  is  the  case  with 
the  coon,  although  they  will  do  best  where  they 
have  water  to  wade,  play  and  search  for  food. 
Muskrats,  otters,  beavers  and  mink  must  have 
water  to  swim  and  play  in,  as  well  as  to  drink, 
or  they  cannot  be  raised.  The  enclosure  for 
mink  and  muskrats  should  include  a  stream  of 
running  water  if  possible,  or  a  pond  of  pure 
water.  The  same  conditions  apply  to  otters  and 
beavers. 

The  thousands  of  small  lakes,  ponds,  etc., 
offer  a  splendid  opportunity  for  the  successful 
raising  of  muskrats.  Many  owners  of  such,  to- 
day, in  their  natural  condition,  or  without  any 
fence,  are  reaping  a  profitable  and  furry  har- 
vest; yet  there  are  additional  hundreds  that  by 
building  a  fence  around,  would  soon  have  a 
muskrat  lake  or  pond  worth  a  great  deal.  Musk- 
rats  are  fond  of  their  homes  and  often  remain 
at  the  same  location  for  years.  If  a  wire  fence 
three  feet  high  were  built  around  this  lake  or 


48 


FUR   FARMING. 


Four   Enclosures    Combined,    for    Four    Species    of    Animals. 
The    Heavy    Black    Portion    Represents    Water    and 
the    Heavy   Line   With   a    Light    Line    Beside 
it  Represents  the  Outside  and  Dividing- 
Fences  of  the  Enclosure. 


ENCLOSURES.  49 

pond  (with  one  foot  underground),  it  would 
keep  the  rats  at  home,  as  some  would  leave, 
especially  as  soon  as  the  increase  became  large. 
Such  a  fence  would  also  keep  out  mink,  which 
often  kill  muskrats. 

Muskrats,  in  their  wild  or  natural  homes, 
seldom  leave  the  water  for  a  distance  of  more 
than  a  rod  or  two,  so  that  a  pond  a  consider- 
able distance  from  any  stream  would  be  a  com- 
paratively safe  place  to  raise  them,  without  any 
enclosure.  The  danger  would  be,  mainly,  that 
after  the  animals  became  quite  plentiful,  some 
would  perhaps  leave,  for  instinct  seems  to  teach 
them  that  some  should  seek  homes  not  so 
crowded.  This  has  happened  in  their  natural 
breeding  places  where  they  became  very  plenti- 
ful. 

How  large  and  where  to  build  enclosures  for 
fur  farming,  must  be  decided  by  each  individual. 
One  party  may  have  a  creek,  pond  or  lake,  per- 
haps a  swamp,  already  inhabited  by  muskrats, 
and  all  that  is  necessary  is  to  keep  other  hunters 
and  trappers  off.  On  navigable  rivers  and  lakes, 
having  an  inlet  and  outlet,  we  believe  in  most 
states  any  one  can  trap,  so  long  as  he  is  upon 
the  water.  In  other  words,  the  water  does  not 
belong  to  the  land  owner,  and  he  cannot  keep 
others  off;  but  any  small  lake  or  pond  may  be 


50-  FUR   FARMING. 

enclosed.  On  this  point  it  would  be  well  to  see 
some  lawyer  in  your  county,  as  different  states 
may  have  different  laws. 

A  wooded  bluff  containing  some  den  trees 
for  coons,  and  hollow  logs,  stumps,  etc.,  for 
opossums  and  skunks,  would  be  an  ideal  place 
for  a  fur  farm.  The  location  of  the  farm  should 
be  within  sight  of  the  home  of  the  raiser,  in  case 
a  dog  should  get  within,  or  a  thief  should  visit 
the  farm.  To  guard  against  stealing  at  night 
your  dog  would  give  the  alarm,  or  you  could  have 
an  electric  appliance  connect  the  farm  with  the 
house. 

Islands  in  large  lakes  offer  a  splendid  place 
to  begin  raising  furbearing  animals,  and  espe- 
cially those  that  do  not  like  to  get  their  "fur 
wet"  or  that  naturally  are  not  swimmers.  In 
this  class  are  the  various  kinds  of  foxes, 
skunks,  and  opossums;  martens,  it  is  true,  are 
not  included  in  the  swimming  class,  but  the  suc- 
cessful marten  raiser  perhaps  will  be  found,  if 
at  all,  in  the  higher  altitudes  where  the  snow 
gets  several  feet  deep  during  the  winter  months, 
and  the  ground  is  covered  with  snow  eight  or 
nine  months  each  year — such  is  the  ideal  and 
natural  home  of  the  marten. 

Skunks  and  opossums  are  two  animals  that 
do  not  travel  much  in  extremely  cold  weather, 


ENCLOSURES.  51 

so  that  an  island  in  a  lake  or  large  river,  could 
be  used  with  no  fencing.  It  perhaps  would  be 
best  to  put  up  a  wire  fence,  but  it  need  not  be 
so  substantial  as  if  it  were  not  surrounded  by 
water.  Of  course,  islands  in  rivers  that  over- 
flow, would  not  be  suitable.  There  are,  how- 
ever, islands  in  the  Great  Lakes  and  elsewhere, 
that  can  be  used  for  raising  both  skunks  and 
opossums  with  little  or  no  cash  outlay  at  the 
start. 

If  islands  are  used  for  foxes  (except  in  salt 
water  where  the  water  does  not  freeze),  the 
same  precaution  in  fencing  must  be  taken  as 
elsewhere.  Foxes  travel  during  all  kinds  of 
weather  and  the  first  night  the  ice  formed  suffi- 
ciently to  bear  their  weight,  they  would  be  very 
likely  to  leave. 

Coons  could  not  be  successfully  raised  on  an 
island.  They  do  not  travel  much  during  severe 
weather,  but  unless  the  island  happened  to  be 
some  distance  from  the  mainland,  they  would 
likely  swim  to  shore.  Mink  would  be  at  home 
on  an  island  where  there  was  fish,  frogs,  etc., 
with  drift  and  log  piles  to  wander  through,  but 
as  they  are  good  swimmers,  there  would  be 
nothing  gained  by  starting,  with  this  animal  on 
an  island. 


52  FUE   FARMING. 

Skunks  and  opossums  seem  to  be  the  only 
animals  that  can  be  safely  raised  on  an  island 
without  the  same  precaution  taken  in  fencing 
and  enclosing,  as  upon  the  mainland.  These 
two  animals,  while  not  the  highest  priced  furred 
ones,  for  various  reasons,  will  prove  to  be  as 
profitable,  or  more  so,  where  conditions  favor, 
than  manv  other  furbearers. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

LAWS  AFFECTING  FUR  FARMING. 

receive  many  requests  from  prospec- 
tive  fur-farmers  for  information  and 
especially  with  reference  to  the  laws 
relating  to  this  industry.  One  of  the 
most  frequent  questions  that  we  are  called  upon 
to  answer  is  "Will  the  laws  of  this  slate  allow 
of  keeping  furbearing  animals  in  captivity?'' 
This  question  has  caused  considerable  trouble, 
for  in  states  where  furbearers  are  protected  a 
part  of  the  year,  it  is  usually  considered  unlaw- 
ful to  have  the  live  animals  in  possession  during 
closed  season,  but  not  always  so.  This  being  a 
matter  which  we  did  not  care  to  assume  the  re- 
sponsibility of  answering  without  a  careful  in- 
vestigation, we  wrote  to  the  state  game  Avardens 
for  the  information  and  most  of  them  replied 
promptly. 

No  state  tries  to  discourage  fur  farming,  and 
where  the  game  laws  conflict  with  this  industry, 
the  said  laws  were  framed  before  the  raising  of 
furbearing  animals  as  a  business  was  thought 
of,  but  the  laws  are  made  to  be  obeyed  by  all 

(53) 


54  FUR   FARMING. 

and  once  a  law  is  passed  it  remains  a  law  until 
repealed. 

In  case  one  wishes  to  look  up  the  laws  re- 
garding furbearing  animals,  he  will  find  that 
only  one  state,  namely  New  York,  has  laws 
making  it  a  misdemeanor  to  have  protected  fur- 
bearing  animals  in  possession  during  closed 
season.  In  that  state  it  surely  would  be  unlaw- 
ful to  raise  mink,  skunks,  muskrats  or  sables 
(martens)  for  the  law,  after  giving  the  open  sea- 
son on  these  animals  says :  "They  shall  not  be 
possessed  or  killed  at  any  other  time."  It  will 
be  noted  also  that  Deputy  Commissioner  John 
B.  Burnham,  in  his  letter  of  Jan.  19,  1911, 
printed  on  page  62,  says  plainly  that  skunk 
farming  is  unlawful,  in  New  York  state.  It  is 
our  opinion  that  the  fur-farmer  would  not  get 
into  any  trouble  with  the  law,  in  any  state  other 
than  New  York,  if  he  would  kill  the  captive 
animals  only  during  the  open  season  for  the  said 
animals.,  since  the  game  laws  of  no  other  state 
say  that  you  may  not  have  the  animals  in  pos- 
session. 

The  various  states  of  the  Union  and  the 
provinces  of  Canada  in  which  furbearers  are 
protected  a  part  of  the  year  are  given  in  the  fol- 
lowing tables,  which  also  give  the  closed  seasons, 
and  the  names  of  the  animals  protected. 


LAWS  AFFECTING  FUR  FARMING.  55 

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FUR   FARMING. 


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58  FUR   FARMING. 

These  are  the  laws  of  1910  and  it  is  possible 
that  by  the  time  this  book  is  printed  some 
changes  will  have  been  made.  It  is  best  in  all 
cases  to  make  sure  of  the  law  before  venturing 
into  this  business,  and  this  information  may  be 
secured  from  the  Game  and  Fish  Commissioners 
of  the  state  in  which  you  reside. 

We  wish  to  say  also  that  a  number  of  states 
other  than  those  mentioned  above  protect 
beavers.  The  states  in  which  there  is  no  open 
season  for  beavers,  not  mentioned  above,  are 
Colorado,  Idaho,  Montana,  Nebraska,  Nevada, 
New  Mexico,  New  York,  Oregon,  Pennsylvania, 
Utah  (otter  and  beaver),  Vermont  (otter  and 
beaver),  Washington  and  Wyoming. 

Under  date  of  January  19,  1911,  we  sent  our, 
the  following  letter  to  each  of  the  state  game 
wardens  of  the  states  which  have  closed  seasons 
on  furbearing  animals: 

"Because  of  the  fact  that  certain  furbearing  animals 
are  protected  in  your  state  during  a  part  of  the  year,  we  re- 
ceive frequent  queries  from  readers  of  our  publications,  re- 
garding the  raising  of  furbearing  animals,  as  to  whether  it 
is  allowed  by  law.  As  the  law  now  stands,  would  it  be  per- 
mitted, and  if  there  is  no  provision  made  for  this,  how  would 
the  clause  protecting  furbearing  animals  be  construed  by  the 
courts,  in  case  of  prosecution,  when  the  defendant  has  kept 
these  protected  animals  in  captivity?" 

A  similar  letter  was  sent  to  each  of  the 
provincial  game  wardens  of  Canada.  Most  of 


LAWS  AFFECTING  FUE  FARMING.  59 

these  parties  responded  promptly  and  gave  their 
views.     The  letters  follow: 

ILLINOIS. 

JANUARY  21st,  1911. 

I  enclose  herewith  copy  of  a  law  protecting  furbearing 
animals  which  will  give  you  the  information  asked  for  in 
your  letter. 

Yours  truly, 

J.  A.  WHEELER, 
State    Game    Commissioner. 

The  only  portion  of  the  law  referred  to 
above,  that  can  have  any  bearing  on  fnr  farm- 
ing is  the  following : 

Ax   ACT   to  regulate  and   fix  the  time  of  killing  furbearing 
animals. 

SECTION  1.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  People  of  the  State  of 
Illinois  represented  in  the  General  Assembly :  That  it  shall 
be  unlawful  to  trap  or  kill  for  profit  or  gain  any  furbearing 
animal  from  the  first  of  May  to  the  first  of  November  of 
eachx  and  every  year. 

2.  Any  person  who  shall  violate  the  provision  of  this 
Act  shall  be  subject  to  prosecution  before  any  court  of  com- 
petent jurisdiction  upon  complaint,  information  or  indict- 
ment, and  shall  upon  conviction  be  fined  for  each  offense 
not  less  than  three  dollars  ($3.00)  and  not  more  than  twenty- 
five  dollars  ($25.00)  for  each  and  every  offense. 

APPROVED  June  4,  1907. 

The  above  could  hardly  be  termed  a  definite 
answer  and  leaves  ns  as  much  in  the  dark  as 
'before. 


60  FUR   FARMING. 

IOWA. 

JANUARY  24th,  1911. 

There  is  no  provision  in  our  law  for  the  raising  and 
propagation  of  furbearing  animals,  but  in  my  opinion  the 
law  would  be  construed  that  such  animals  could  be  raised 
in  captivity  and  would  be  the  personal  property  of  the 
breeder  to  be  disposed  of  lawfully  as  the  owner  saw  fit. 
Yours  truly, 

GEO.    A.   LINCOLN, 

State  Warden. 

KENTUCKY. 

No  reply  received. 

MAINE. 

JANUARY  21,  1911. 

I   have  your   favor  of  the   18th  inst,  and  beg  leave   to 
reply  as   follows :     That  — 

Under  the  laws  of  this  State  animals  "fere  naturae",  that 
is,  animals  wild  by  nature,  when  reduced  to  possession  and 
•  kept  in  captivity  for  any  purpose,  provided  they  are  law- 
fully taken  in  open  season,  according  to  the  laws  of  the 
State,  become  the  sole  property  of  the  person  who  has  thus 
taken  them.  And  so  long  as  they  keep  them  in  captivity 
they  remain  the  property  of  the  captor  and  all  their  progeny 
as  well.  So  far  from  the  foregoing  it  is  settled  law  that 
any  person  in  the  State  of  Maine  who  lawfully  captures  a 
wild  animal  in  open  season  may  keep  said  animal  and  its 
progeny  for  profit  or  otherwise. 

The    laws    protecting    furbearing    animals    are    construed 
and  must  be  construed  as  above. 

I   am   prepared  to   defend  this  interpretation   before  any 
court  in  Maine.     I  would  like  a  copy  of  your  publication. 
Very  sincerely  yours, 

L.  T.  CARLETON, 

/./   Years  Chairman  Fish  and  Game 
Commission  of  the  State  of  Maine. 


LAWS  AFFECTING   FUR  FARMING.  61 

MICHIGAN. 

JANUARY   21,    1911. 

I  am  in  receipt  of  your  letter  of  January  eighteenth,  and 
in  reply  will  say,  that  whenever  anyone  in  this  state  desires 
to  start  in  the  business  of  raising  furbearing  animals,  I  issue 
permits  for  the  keeping  of  furbearing  animals  in  their  pos- 
session for  propagating  purposes.  There  is  not  really  any 
law  in  this  state  at  the  present  time  which  governs  the 
matter,  but  whenever  anyone  has  a  desire  to  keep  furbearing 
animals  for  propagating  purposes  I  have  issued  a  permit. 
Very  truly,  . 

C.  S.  PRICE, 
State,  Game,  Fish  and  Forestry  Warden. 

MINNESOTA. 

JANUARY  21,   1911. 

Replying  to  yours  of  January  18th,  will  say  that  the 
Minnesota  law  protects  muskrats,  mink,  and  raccoon  from 
April  15th  to  November  15th.  There  is  now  no  law  which 
prevents  the  raising  of  those  animals,  and  if  the  party  raising 
them  were  to  kill  them  during  the  period  from  November 
15th  to  April  loth,  I  do  not  think  that  any  prosecution  would 
follow,  but  I  think  that  if  they  were  killed  at  any  other  time, 
they  would  be  liable  to  prosecution  under  the  law  as  it 
now  stands. 

Yours  truly, 

H.   A.   RIDER, 
Executive  Agent. 

MISSOURI. 

JANUARY   26th,    1911. 

I  have  your  letter  of  the  19th,  and  note  what  you  say 
regarding  the  raising  of  furbearing  animals  in  captivity.  In 
reply,  will  say,  that  there  is  nothing  in  our  present  game 
law  prohibiting  the  raising  of  furbearing  animals  in  cap- 
tivity or  for  profit  and  the  only  restrictions  imposed  you  will 
find  in  section  14  of  the  game  law,  a  copy  of  which  is  here- 


62  FUR   FARMING. 

with  enclosed,   relating  to  the  taking  or  killing  of  squirrel, 
otter,   beaver,    and    muskrat,   during   certain    seasons    of   the 
year.     I  would  not  be  disposed  to  interfere  with  anyone  in 
this  State  desiring  to  raise  furbearing  animals  in  captivity. 
Yours  very  truly, 

JESSE  A.  TOLERTON, 
State  Game  and  Fish  Commissioner. 

The  portion  of  Section  14  of  the  Missouri 
game  law  referred  to  in  this  letter  reads  as  fol- 
lows: 

"No  person  shall  catch,  take  or  kill,  or  attempt  to  catch, 
take  or  kill,  any  otter,  beaver  or  muskrat  between  the  first 
day  of  April  and  the  first  day  of  November;  Provided,  that 
any  person  may  protect  his  premises  from  the  ravages  and 
depredation  of  animals  named  in  this  section  at  any  time 
and  in  any  way.  Any  person  who  shall  violate  any  of  the 
provisions  of  this  section  shall  be  punished  by  a  fine  of  not 
less  than  $5.00  nor  more  than  $25.00." 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE. 

No  reply  received. 

NEW  YORK. 

JANUARY  19,  1911. 

Replying  to  your  letter  of  the  18th  inst,  I  would  say 
there  is  no  provision  in  the  game  laws  of  this  State  per- 
mitting skunk  farming.  It  is  against  the  law  to  possess  these 
animals  during  the  closed  season  or  from  March  16th  to 
October  31st  inclusive. 

Yours  truly, 
JOHN  B.  BURNHAM. 
Deputy    Commissioner. 


LAWS  AFFECTING  FUR  FARMING.  63 

NORTH  DAKOTA. 

FEBRUARY   2nd,   1911. 

In  answer  to  your  several  questions  in  your  favor  of  the 
19th,  January,  I  am  enclosing  you  the  laws  covering  the  in- 
formation you  desire. 

There  may  be  some  changes,  or  amendments  made  during 
the  session  of  our  legislature,  if  so,  I  will  inform  you. 
Very  truly  yours, 

R.  W.  MAIN. 

The  only  portion  of  the  North  Dakota  game 
law  which  we  think  would  have  any  bearing  on 
fur  farming  is  Section  41,  which  reads  as  fol- 
lows : 

SECTION  41.  No  person  shall  take,  catch  or  kill  any 
mink  or  muskrat,  between  the  fifteenth  day  of  April  and  the 
fifteenth  day  of  November  (both  inclusive)  following;  Pro- 
vided, that  when  any  of  the  animals  mentioned  in  this  section 
are  doing  damage  to,  or  destroying  property,  the  person 
whose  property  is  being  damaged  or  destroyed  may  kill  them 
at  any  time. 

We  cannot  see  that  anything  in  this  section 
would  make  fur  farming  illegal. 


OHIO. 

JANUARY  23,  1911. 

Replying  to  your  communication  of  the  19th,  regarding 
f  urbearing  animals : 

At  the  present  time,  the  only  furbearers  protected  by  law 
are  the  skunk  and  raccoon.  ,  The  skunk  may  be  killed  be- 
tween November  1st  and  February  1st  only.  There  is  a 
special  statute,  however,  which  provides  they  may  be  killed 
at  any  time  by  persons  having  them  in  enclosures  for  the 


64  FUR    FARMING. 


purpose  of  propagation.  Land  owners  may  also  kill  them 
at  any  time,  except  Sunday,  when  they  are  found  injuring 
property. 

It  is  probable  that  some  change  will  be  made  in  the  law 
protecting  skunk  at  the  present  session  of  the  general  as- 
sembly as  there  seems  to  be  quite  a  general  demand  for  such 
change. 

Very  respectfully, 

JNO.  C.  SPEAKS, 

Chief  Warden. 

SOUTH   DAKOTA. 

JANUARY  21,  1911. 

I  beg  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  favor  under 
date  of  the  19th  inst,  and  contents  duly  noted. 

I  am  this  day  mailing  you  under  separate  cover  a  copy 
of  the  Game  and   Fish   laws  of  this   state,   which  will   give 
you  all  the  desired  information,  as  per  your  request. 
Yours   truly, 

W.   F.    BANCROFT. 

Section  45  of  the  South  Dakota  game  law 
reads : 

"No  person  shall  catch,  take  or  kill  any  mink,  muskrat, 
otter,  or  beaver  between  April  1st  and  November  15th,  fol- 
lowing. Provided,  that  when  any  of  the  animals  mentioned 
in  this  section  are  doing  damage  to  or  destroying  any  prop- 
erty the  person  whose  property  is  being  damaged  or  de- 
stroyed may  kill  them  at  any  time.  Provided  the  town  super- 
visor may  instruct  anyone  to  trap  or  kill  muskrats  when  said 
animals  are  destroying  public  highways. 

46.  Whoever  shall  violate  any  of  the  provisions  of  the 
foregoing  section  shall  be  deemed  guilty  of  a  misdemeanor 
and  upon  conviction  thereof  be  fined  in  any  sum,  not  less 
than  ten  dollars,  nor  more  than  fifty  dollars,  or  by  imprison- 
ment in  the  county  jail  for  not  less  than  ten  nor  more  than 
thirty  days  for  each  such  mink,  muskrat,  otter  or  beaver 
trapped,  taken,  caught  or  killed  contrary  to  the  provisions 
of  the  foregoing  section." 


LAWS  AFFECTING  FUR  FARMING.  65 

WISCONSIN. 

No  reply  received. 

ALBERTA,  CAN. 

JANUARY  24th,   1911. 

In  reply  to  your  communication  of  the  19th  instant,  re- 
garding the  rearing  of  furbearing  animals  in  captivity  in 
this  Province,  would  advise  you  that  an  odd  request  for  in- 
formation in  connection  with  this  subject  is  occasionally 
received.  As  I  am  not  aware  of  any  person  or  persons 
having  as  yet  gone  into  the  business,  I  have  not  seen  fit 
therefore  to  recommend  any  special  laws  to  govern  such  a 
business.  No  person  of  course  is  permitted  to  take  any  of 
the  animals  which  are  protected  by  the  Game  Act  during 
the  closed  season  therefore  without  a  special  permit  as  is 
provided  for  under  the  provisions  of  Section  27  of  the  Game 
Act.  If,  however,  in  the  future  a  business  of  this  descrip- 
tion is  established,  laws  suitable  to  regulate  will  be  recom- 
mended for  adoption  by  the  Legislature. 
I  am,  Sir, 

Yours  very  truly, 

BENJ.    LAWTON, 
Chief  Game  Guardian. 

BRITISH  COLUMBIA,  CAN. 

JANUARY  26th,  1911. 

Your  letter  of  the  19th  inst,  with  reference  to  the  rais- 
ing of  furbearing  animals  in  this  Province  for  profit. 

There  is  no  provision  made  in  our  Game  Laws  for 
raising  furbearing  animals  for  profit ;  as  the  law  now  stands 
any  person  having  any  animal  or  bird  of  the  protected 
species  in  their  possession  during  the  closed  season  is 
liable  to  prosecution,  and  should  any  person  having  such 
protected  animals  or  birds  in  his  possession,  no  matter  if 
they  were  raised  in  captivity  or  not,  be  brought  before  a 
magistrate  he  would  most  certainly  be  found  guilty.  It  is 

5 


66  FUR   FARMING. 

possible,  however,  that  some  provision  may_  be  made  in   the 
Game  Act  in  the  near  future  to  meet  such  "cases. 

I  enclose  a  Chart  of  our  Game  Laws  which  may  be  of 
use  to  you. 

Yours  truly, 

A.  BRYAN  WILLIAMS,  J.  P., 

Provincial  Game   Warden. 

MANITOBA,  CAN. 

JANUARY  23rd,  1911. 

I  have  the  honour  to  acknowledge  receipt  of  your  favor 
of  the  19th  inst,  asking  for  information  regarding  the  pro- 
tection of  furbearing  animals  in  this  Province. 

In  reply,  I  take  great  pleasure  in  forwarding  you,  under 
separate  cover  a  copy  of  the  "Manitoba  Game  Protection 
Act",  a  "Game  Warning  Poster",  giving  synopsis  of  said 
Act,  and  a  Non-resident  Warning  Card",  which  will  explain 
themselves  and  answer  the  questions  set  forth  in  your  letter. 

You  will  notice  that  there  is  no  provision  in  said  Act, 
which  would  permit  any  person  to  have  live  game  animals 
in  their  possession  for  domestication  or  for  any  other  pur- 
pose, consequently,  any  person  found  in  possession  of  such 
animals  would  be  amenable  to  the  law. 

I  am, 

Yours  very  truly, 

CHARLES   BARBER, 
Chief  Game  Guardian. 


NEW  BRUNSWICK,  CAN. 

JANUARY  23rd,   1911. 

Yours  of  the  19th  inst.   received. 

In  reply  I  beg  to  inform  you  so  far  as  I  know  the  Game 
Laws  of  this  Province,  no  wild  animal  is  allowed  to  be  kept 
in  captivity  unless  under  a  special  license  from  the  Surveyor 


LAWS  AFFECTING   FUR   FARMING.  67 

General.     This  being  so,  I   cannot  see  how  any  person  can 
lawfully  raise  game  furbearing  animals. 

Yours  obediently, 

T.   G.   LOGGIE, 
Deputy   Surveyor   General. 

NOVA  SCOTIA,  CAN. 

JANUARY  30th,  1911. 

Replying  to  yours  of  19th  inst,  I  would  say  that  several 
of  the  furbearing  animals  are  not  protected  in  our  Province 
and  could  therefore  be  kept  in  captivity.  In  the  case  of 
mink,  there  is  provision  for  the  issue  of  a  permit  allowing 
them  to  be  kept  for  breeding  purposes.  Other  protected 
animals  could  not  be  kept  in  captivity  under  our  present  law. 
Yours  very  truly, 

J.  A.  KNIGHT, 
Chief  Game  Commissioner. 

ONTARIO,  CAN. 

JANUARY  23rd,   1911. 

I  am  in  receipt  of  your  letter  of  the  19th  inst.,  re  rais- 
ing furbearing  animals.  In  reply  beg  to  say  that  there  are 
no  regulations  in  the  Ontario  Game  and  Fisheries  Act  which 
would  allow  anyone  to  keep  furbearing  animals  in  captivity 
during  the  closed  season  for  any  purpose. 

I  am  sending  you,  under  separate  cover,  a  copy  of  the 
Act  referred  to. 

Yours  truly, 

E.  TINSLEY, 
Superintendent. 


PRINCE  EDWARD  ISLAND, 

No  reply  received. 


68  FUR    FARMING. 

QUEBEC,  CAN. 

JANUARY    23rd,    1911. 

I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  receipt  of  your  letter 
dated  the  19th  inst.  In  answer,  I  beg  to  say  that  anyone  who 
wants  to  keep  alive  during  the  closed  season  an>  animals 
protected  by  our  game  law,  has  to  procure  a  special  permit 
to  that  effect,  from  the  Hon.  Minister  of  this  Department. 
This  permit  may  be  issued  on  payment  of  a  certain  fee  for 
a  limited  time  and  for  a  specified  number  of  animals.  If 
during  the  closed  season  any  one  was  caught  keeping  alive 
such  game  or  furbearing  animals,  he  may  be  prosecuted  for 
infringement  to  our  game  law. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  Sir, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

S.  DUFAULT, 

Deputy  Minister. 

SASKATCHEWAN,  CAN. 

JANUARY  30th,  1911. 

Replying  to  your  inquiry  of  the  19th  instant,  I  beg  to 
advise  you  that  provided  the  animals  in  question  were  taken 
into  captivity  during  the  open  season  for  each  species  it 
would  be  permissible  under  our  Game  Law  to  keep  such 
animals  in  captivity,  but  as  it  is  not  lawful  at  any  time  to 
take  beaver  it  would  not,  of  course,  be  permissible  to  raise 
these  animals.  Under  Section  17  of  the  Game  Act,  a  copy 
of  which  I  enclose  herewith,  the  exporting  of  such  animals 
as  are  mentioned  requires  a  permit  from  the  Minister  of 
Agriculture. 

Yours    faithfully, 

A.    F.    MANTLE, 
Deputy  Minister. 

The  above  are  the  replies,  as  received,  and 
represent  the  views  of  the  various  game  com- 
missions. In  case  of  the  vague  answers,  where 


LAWS   AFFECTING   FUR   FARMING.  69 

we  are  referred  to  the  game  laws,  we  will  say 
that  if  the  decision  were  left  to  us  we  should 
declare  fur  farming  legal  everywhere  that  fur- 
bearers  are  protected  during'  a  part  of  the  year 
only,  unless  the  law  expressly  states  that  these 
animals  cannot  be  had  in  possession  during 
closed  season.  It  is  certain  that  in  all  states 
where  the  present  game.laAvs  conflict  with  the 
raising  of  furbearers,  steps  will  soon  be  taken 
to  amend  the  laws  so  that  the  fur-farmer  may 
carry  on  his  business  without  interference. 


CHAPTER  V. 

BOX  TRAP  TRAPPING. 

TWAS  born  in.  Central  Pennsylvania  and 
spent  the  greater  part  of  my  early  life 
among  the  mountains  of  that  part  of  our 
country,  writes  Mr.  A.  C.  Williams,  a 
well  known  trapper.  From  my  early  boyhood, 
I  had  a  decided  liking  for  the  wilder  class  of 
literature,  and  took  special  interest  in  tales  of 
hunting  and  trapping  adventures;  but  at  that 
time,  did  not  know  that  there  were  many  who 
still  followed  hunting  and  trapping  for  profit. 
When  I  did  learn  of  it,  I  naturally  became  even 
more  interested,  and  tried  to  find  a  partner 
among  my  boy  friends,  intending,  if  I  could  find 
some  person  to  accompany  me,  to  make  an  ex- 
tended hunting  and  trapping  trip  into  some  one 
of  the  wilder  portions  of  the  West  or  North. 

Of  course  I  was  no  more  fitted  for  such  a 
trip  than  any  other  country  boy  of  the  same  age, 
and  knew  nothing  of  the  wilderness;  but  being 
a  boy,  and  having  read  so  many  tales  of  boy 
hunters  traversing  the  wilderness  as  they  would 
their  own  back  yards,  I  naturally  thought  that 
(70) 


BOX   TRAP   TRAPPING.  71 

life  in  the  forests  was  a  very  simple  thing,  and 
that  there  was  no  reason  why  I  should  not  go. 
As  I  grew  older  I  learned  that  there  was  still 
some  fur  to  be  found  in  Pennsylvania,  and  not 
only  that  but  that  there  were  parties  who  made 
trapping  a  business,  in  season. 

I  was  interested,  and  decided  to  try  my  hand 
on  the  furbearing  animals  found  near  my  own 
home,  before  going  farther,  but  I  had  no  traps 
and  knew  nothing  about  the  various  sizes  and 
grades;  as  a  consequence,  I  sought  out  one  of 
the  trappers  that  I  had  heard  of,  and  asked  his 
advice  regarding  different  traps  for  the  various 
animals.  He  gave  me  the  desired  information, 
very  willingly,  and  also  remarked  that  he  had 
been  very  successful  in  trapping  mink  and  other 
small  animals  with  box-traps.  After  he  had 
mentioned  it,  I  remembered  that  my  father  had, 
on  one  occasion,  caught  a  mink  in  a  box  trap, 
after  it  had  been  paying  nightly  visits  to  our 
chicken  coop  for  a  week  or  more,  killing  a  hen 
each  night;  but  for  all  of  that  I  did  not  know 
that  these  traps  could  be  used  successfully  when 
trapping  for  profit.  It  was  not  very  long  after 
i  iy  conversation  with  this  trapper,  that  I  had 
an  opportunity  of  examining  one  of  these  wooden 
traps  and  studying  its  construction.  I  will  give 


72  FUR   FARMING. 

here  a  description  of  the  trap  used  in  that  sec- 
tion : 

A  plain  box,  size  10  by  10.  by  24  inches,  is 
made  of  one-inch  lumber,  hardwood  preferred, 
and  is  left  open  on  one  end  and  the  top  (see 
A)  another  part  (B)  the  cover,  is  fitted  in  top 
and  end,  and  hinged  at  back  by  driving  a  nail 
in  each  side,  being  careful  to  get  both  nails 
same  distance  from  the  end  of  board.  This  cover 


Box    Trap    for    Catching    Animals    Alive. 

should  work  freely,  and  when  dropped  down  in 
place,  should  fill  the  opening  neatly,  leaving  no 
cracks  for  the  captured  animal  to  gnaw  at. 

Now  nail  two  strips  (CC)  on  opposite  sides 
of  the  box  and  about  three  inches  from  the  mouth 
of  the  trap.  These  strips  should  extend  about 
ten  inches  above  the  top  of  the  box,  and  should 
have  the  tops  notched  to  hold  stick  (D).  Stick 


BOX   TRAP   TRAPPING.  73 

( E )  is  tied  at.  one  end  to  a  nail  driven  in  the  end 
of  cover,  and  at  the  other  end,  is  attached  the 
trigger  (F).  One  end  of  this  trigger  fits  into 
a  notch  cut  into  the  end  of  the  box,  and  the 
other  end  fits  into  a  similar  notch  cut  in  the 
bait-stick  (G).  The  bait-stick,  as  will  be  noticed 
in  the  drawing,  is  slipped  through  a  hole  in  the 
end  of  the  box,  just  below  the  trigger  notch,  and 
is  kept  in  place  by  means  of  a  nail  driven 
through  on  the  inside  of  the  box.  A  small  trip 
board  (H),  rests  under  the  bait-stick  on  the 
inside  of  the  trap.  This  trip  board  doubles  the 
value  of  the  trap,  as  by  its  use  many  an  animal 
which  merely  enters  the  trap  to  smell  at  the 
bait,  will  be  caught;  which  would  not  occur  if 
the  board  were  not  used. 

To  complete  the  trap,  a  snap  catch  {I)  is 
fastened  to  one  side  of  the  trap  in  front  of  up- 
right strip  (C)  and  its  purpose  is  to  catch  and 
hold  the  cover  when  the  trap  is  sprung.  This 
snap  is  made  of  springy  wood,  beveled  on  the 
top,  and  the  falling  cover  presses  it  outward; 
but  as  soon  as  the  trap  is  fully  closed,  it  springs 
back  to  the  original  position  holding  the  cover 
securely.  In  making  this  trap  it  is  advisable, 
always,  to  use  old,  weather-beaten  lumber. 

As  a  result  of  my  investigation,  I  made  a 
number  of  these  traps  and  was  successful  with 


74  FUR  FARMING. 

them,  from  the  start.  In  that  part  of  the  country 
there  had  been  many  saw-mills  and  logging 
camps,  at  one  time  or  another  and  at  such  places 
I  could  always  find  old  boards  from  which  to 
construct  the  traps.  The  only  tools  required 
being  a  saw,  a  hatchet,  and  a  half-inch  auger,  I 
would  go  to  these  places  during  the  summer, 
whenever  I  had  a  day  to  spare,  and  make  a  few 
traps,  hiding  them  near  the  places  where  I 
wished  to  set  them. 

The  trap  described  above  is  of  the  size  used 
for  mink,  skunk  and  opossum,  but  I  made  most 
of  mine  on  a  larger  scale,  and  by  baiting  with 
fish,  I  caught  many  coons.  On  one  occasion  I 
caught  three  coons  in  one  night,  with  only  three 
traps  set,  and  in  another  trap,  set  by  the  side 
of  a  small  stream,  in  a  gap  of  the  mountains,  I 
caught  three  mink  and  two  coons  in  one 
fall  season.  At  another  time  I  caught  a  large 
bob-cat  in  such  a  trap. 

As  I  said  before  I  baited  with  fish  when  I 
could  get  them ;  but  those  trappers  who  used  them 
for  mink  alone,  never  used  bait,  but  attracted 
the  mink  into  the  trap  by  means  of  mink  musk 
rubbed  on  the  trip  board. 

I  caught  quite  a  lot  of  skunks  in  box  traps, 
and  it  is  a  nice  way  to  catch  these  animals,  for 
the  trap  may  be  carried  to  the  nearest  water 


BOX   TEAP   TRAPPING.  75 

and  the  catch  drowned  by  holding  the  trap  be- 
netith  the  surface.  It  is  advisable  always,  to 
place  a  weight  —  a  few  stones  or  wet  chunks  — 
on  the  cover,  as  this  will  make  it  more  certain 
in  its  action. 

These  traps  are  specially  suitable  for  catch- 
ing animals  alive  and  uninjured,  for  breeding 
purposes,  and  now,  that  so  many  people  are  in- 
terested in  raising  fur-bearing  animals,  there  is 


Box  Trap  with   Swing  Gate. 

a  ready  sale  for  live  animals,  and  this  matter 
should  be  given  attention. 

I  have  used  another  style  of  box-trap  for 
muskrats,  but  is  not  intended  for  catching  the 
animals  alive,  and  the  muskrats  are  always 
drowned.  It  is  a  simple  box  or  square  tube  of 
boards,  6  x  6  x  24  or  26  inches,  open  at  both  ends. 
A  wire  screen  is  fastened  over  one  end,  and  a 
loosely  hinged  gate  of  pointed  wires  is  hung  in 


7$  FUR   FARMING. 

the  other  end.  I  used  for  the  gate,  pieces  of 
umbrella  ribs,  cut  about  eight  inches  long  and 
the  ends  filed  sharp.  With  the  wires  cut  this 
length  the  gate  will  hang  at  an  angle  of  forty - 
tive  degrees,  or  more,  and  will  push  in  easily, 
allowing  the  animal  to  enter  the  trap  without 
effort;  but  once  inside,  escape  is  impossible,  as 
the  gate  cannot  be  pushed  out,  and  even  if  the 
captured  animal  should  raise  the  gate  and  at- 
tempt to  creep  under  it,  the  pointed  wires  will 
catch  in  its  back  and  prevent  escape. 

They  are  set  in  the  dens,  under  water,  and  if 
the  mouth  of  the  den  is  too  large,  the  space 
around  the  trap  should  be  closed  with  sods.  Set 
in  this  way,  it  will  catch  any  muskrat  that  at- 
tempts to  leave  the  den,  and  I  have  caught  three 
at  one  time  in  such  a  trap. 

While  muskrats  caught  in  this  way  are  al- 
ways drowned,  other  animals,  such  as:  mink, 
skunk  and  opossum,  may  be  taken  alive  by  set- 
ting the  trap  in  the  mouth  of  the  den,  blocking 
up  all  side  openings.  The  width  of  the  trap  as 
shown  in  the  cut,  is  considerably  out  of  propor- 
tion, when  compared  with  its  length — it  being 
drawn  this  way  to  show  more  clearly  the  work- 
ing of  the  swing  gate. 

A  very  effective  skunk  trap  may  be  made  from 
an  old  barrel.  The  barrel  is  pivoted  to  a  pair 


BOX   TRAP   TRAPPING.  77 

of  stakes,  driven  firmly  into  the  ground  along  a 
bank  or  hillside,  where  skunks  are  found,  and 
the  bait  is  fastened  on  the  bottom  of  the  inside 
of  the  barrel.  This  trap  is  shown  plainly  in  the 
illustration.  It  will  be  apparent  to  all  that 
when  the  skunk,  in  approaching  the  bait,  passes 
the  center,  where  it  is  hinged  to  the  stakes,  the 


Barrel  Trap  for  Catching  Animals  Alive. 

barrel  tips  over,  and  it  will  be  impossible  for 
the  animal  to  escape. 

Muskrats  are  somtimes  taken  with  a  wire 
net.  To  hunt  them  successfully  in  this  way,  two 
persons  are  required.  While  one  holds  the  net 
over  the  mouth  of  the  den,  the  other  hunter 
drives  the  inmates  from  the  burrow  by  prodding 


78  FUR   FARMING. 

the  ground  with  a  pointed  pole.  A  wire  cage 
with  a  cover  must  be  used  to  carry  the  captured 
animals,  and  each  individual  must  be  shaken 
into  the  cage  as  soon  as  captured,  and  the  cage 
closed  immediately  to  prevent  their  escape. 

When  box  traps  are  used,  no  difficulty  what- 
ever will  be  encountered  in  transporting  the  ani- 
mals, as  trap  and  catch  may  be  carried  into  the 
enclosure  before  the  animal  is  liberated.  Even 
the  skunk  may  be  carried  along  in  this  way 
without  any  danger  of  scenting.  The  trap  should 
be  handled  carefully — not  thrown  about. 

Muskrats  may  be  handled  with  perfect 
safety  if  grasped  by  the  end  of  the  tail  and  held 
at  arm's  length. 

Trappers,  as  a  rule,  know  just  what  time  of 
year  the  young  of  each  species  of  animal  are  born 
and  I  would  advise,  when  trapping  animals  for 
breeding  purposes,  to  catch  them  before  this  time, 
or  at  such  a  length  of  time  after  the  birth  of  the 
young,  that  there  will  be  no  danger  of  their 
starving  in  case  they  are  not  captured  along 
with  the  mother.  Even  if  the  very  young  ani- 
mals are  taken  from  the  den,  there  is  danger  of 
them  suffering  from  careless  handling,  or  from 
not  receiving  proper  care.  It  is  better  to  catch 
the  female  animals  before  the  young  are  born. 


BOX  TRAP  TRAPPIN< 


79 


Another  box  trap  that  is  a  good  one,  is  de- 
scribed by  an  Illinois  trapper  as  follows: 

"I  here  enclose  a  sketch  for  making  a  trap 
for  catching  mink  which  I  have  used  for  years, 
and  think  it  can't  be  beat.  Make  a  box  22  inches 
long,  5  inches  wide,  and  6  inches  high  out  of  inch 
lumber;  bore  a  hole  at  the  back  for  the  string 

(D)  to  pass  through,  which  is  tied  to  a  bait  at 

(E)  and  fastened  at  the  other  end  to  a  heavy 


^^^ 


Another  Box  Trap. 


wire  (C),  on  top  of  the  box,  which  holds  the 
sliding  door  (A),  when  set.  A  couple  of  strips 
(B)  are  nailed  on  each  side  to  hold  the  door  in 
place.  This  is  a  good  trap  for  mink  that  are 
afraid  of  steel  traps.  For  bait  use  a  rabbit's 
head  tied  securely  to  the  string,  also  a  few  drops 
of  good  scent  put  on  the  bait,  and  set  near  the 
mouth  of  some  tiles  or  wherever  mink  abound." 
This  trap,  as  well  as  all  the  box-traps  in  this 


80  FUR   FARMING. 

chapter,  are  recommended  for  catching  such  ani- 
mals as  skunk,  coon,  mink,  and  opossum,  alive 
and  uninjured,,  for  stocking  fur-farms. 

Muskrat  can  be  caught  in  these  traps  by  bait- 
ing and  setting  where  they  feed,  or  on  runways 
from  one  pond  to  another. 

Animals  caught  in  these  traps  can  be  carried 
with  safety  to  both  catcher  and  animal,  to  the 
enclosure,  before  taking  out  of  the  trap. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

FOX  EAISING. 

CHE  foxes  of  North  America  are  divided  by 
naturalists  into  only  three  distinct  groups 
or  species,  namely,  the  red,  the  gray  and 
the    Arctic    foxes.       Of    these,    the    red 
species  is  divided  into  a  number  of  varieties, 
among  which  are  the  Nova  Scotia  Red  Fox,  the 
Newfoundland  Red   Pox  and  the  Western  Kit 
or  Swift  Fox,  etc. 

The  black,  cross  and  silver  foxes  are  com- 
monly supposed  to  be  only  color  varieties  of  the 
red,  there  being  no  difference  whatever,  except 
in  the  fur.  While  naturalists  all  agree  on  this 
subject  there  is  considerable  difference  of  opin- 
ion among  others  who  give  as  proof  that  they 
are  of  a  different  species,  the  fact  that  the  black, 
cross  and  silver  are  only  found  in  the  northern 
districts  while  the  red  variety  is  found  well 
down  into  the  south.  There  are,  however,  cer- 
tain facts  Avhich  go  to  prove  that  they  are 
all  of  the  same  variety  or  if  different  that  they 
interbreed,  the  most  convincing  of  these  being 
the  fact  that  the  various  colors  are  sometimes 

6  (81) 


82  FUR   FARMING. 

found  in  the  same  litter.  But,  be  this  as  it  may, 
the  matter  is  of  little  importance  to  the  prospec- 
tive fox  breeder  as  it  has  become  a  well  known 
fact  that  the  red  color  can  be  entirely  eliminated 
by  careful  breeding. 

The  red  fox  is  found  throughout  the  greater 
part  of  Canada  and  the  United  States  except  in 
the  far  South  where  it  is  replaced  by  the  gray 
species  and  in  the  extreme  northern  portions 
of  Canada  and  Alaska,  where  it  gives  place  to 
the  Arctic  fox,  also  they  are  not  found  in  the 
far  western  states  nor  on  the  Pacific  coast,  being 
replaced  there  by  the  gray.  The}7  are  perhaps 
most  abundant  in  the  New  England  States,  New- 
foundland and  the  eastern  provinces  of  Canada, 
but  are  also  found  in  good  numbers  in  parts  of 
New  York,  Pennsylvania,  Virginia,  West  Vir- 
ginia and  the  mountainous  and  hilly  sections  of 
the  South. 

The  silver  and  black  foxes  are  found  but 
rarely  in  the  most  northern  tier  of  states  and 
are  probably  found  in  the  greatest  numbers  in 
Newfoundland,  Labrador,  northern  Quebec  and 
northern  Ontario,  but  an  odd  specimen  is  oc- 
casionally met  with  in  all  parts  of  Canada.  They 
appear  also  to  be  quite  plentiful  in  the  interior 
of  Alaska  and  the  Yukon  Province  of  Canada. 
The  range  of  the  cross  fox  is  the  same  as  that 


FOX   RAISING.  83 

of  the  silver  and  black  except  that  it  probably 
extends  somewhat  farther  southward  into  the 
United  States. 

Of  the  gray  foxes,  several  varieties  are  recog- 
nized, all  however,  being  very  much  alike.  They 
are  found  throughout  the  Southern  and  South 
Central  States — in  the  east  being  found  as  far 
north  as  Connecticut  and  on  the  Pacific  Coast 
are  found  in  California  and  Oregon. 

The  Arctic  fox,  also  known  as  the  blue  fox 
and  the  white  fox,  is  found  only  in  northern 
Canada  and  Alaska.  In  the  most  northern  parts 
of  their  range  they  are  a  bluish  color  in  summer, 
changing  to  white  in  winter,  but  in  the  lower 
latitudes  they  retain  the  blue  color  throughout 
the  year. 

There  is  an  immense  difference  in  the  value 
of  the  various  varieties  of  foxes.  While  the  fur 
of  the  gray  variety  is  seldom  worth  more  than 
a  dollar  or  a  dollar  and  a  half,  that  of  the  fine 
silver  and  black  foxes  will  range  from  several 
hundred  to  a  thousand  dollars,  and  more  if  the 
skin  is  an  exceptionally  fine  one.  The  Arctic 
fox  comes  next  in  value  to  the  silver,  while  the 
cross  is  as  a  rule  of  less  value,  depending  mostly 
on  color,  and  the  red  variety  sells  for  from 
three  to  five  dollars  each  and  upwards  for  prime 
skins. 


FUR   FARMING. 


FOX    RAISING.  85 

The  various  members  of  the  red  fox  family 
are  practically  the  same  as  regards  habits,  being 
influenced  to  a  certain  extent  by  environments, 
differences  in  climate  and  food,  etc.,  but  on  the 
whole  very  much  alike.  They  are  all  of  a  cun- 
ning, wary  and  suspicious  nature  and  it  is  owing 
to  this  fact  alone  that  they  have  been  enabled 
to  live  and  thrive  in  the  face  of  the  persistent 
hunting  and  trapping.  They  are  hardy  animals 
and  while  they  generally  have  a  den  somewhere 
on  the  side  of  a  gravelly  or  sandy  hill,  they  spend 
comparatively  little  of  their  time  in  the  dens 
and  prefer  to  spend  the  day  in  a  bunch  of  grass 
or  weeds,  a  clump  of  brush,  or,  curled  up  on  top 
of  a  stump. 

In  their  search  for  food  they  sometimes  start 
out  quite  early  in  the  evening,  but  are  probably 
most  active  in  the  early  morning  when  all  animal 
life  is  on  the  move.  Then  it  is  that  the  rabbits 
and  other  nocturnal  animals  are  seeking  their 
places  of  rest  and  the  birds,  etc.,  are  commenc- 
ing to  move  about  and  the  fox  stands  a  better 
chance  of  securing  some  article  of  food. 

Their  food  consists  principally  of  small 
animals  and  birds,  such  as  rabbits,  partridge, 
quail,  chipmunks  and  mice,  but  they  also  eat 
fruit,  such  as  apples,  wild  grapes  and  nuts. 
However,  they  are  more  strictly  carnivorous 


86  FUR   FARMING. 

than  the  gray  fox.  They,  are  fond  of  eggs  and 
often  rob  the  nests  of  ground  building  birds,  of 
eggs  and  young,  and  in  the  settled  sections  have 
acquired  a  decided  liking  for  poultry  of  all  kinds. 

The  food  of  the  gray  fox  is  practically  the 
same  as  that  of  the  red  variety  but  they  are 
more  given  (to  eating  fruit  and  feed  extensively 
on  grapes,  apples,  etc.,  and  in  some  sections 
they  feed  on  green  corn.  All  foxes  will  eat  fish 
with  a  relish  when  they  can  get  them  and  will 
refuse  scarcely  anything  in  the  line  of  flesh, 
being  especially  fond  of  muskrat,  skunk  and 
opossum.  In  captivity  they  take  very  kindly  to 
a  vegetable  diet. 

The  Arctic  foxes  live  chiefly  on  lemmings, 
small  animals  which  are  found  quite  plentifully 
in  the  far  north,  but  in  captivity  they  thrive  on 
fish  and  cooked  corn  meal. 

The  .mating  season  of  the  red  fox  comes 
mainly  in  February  and  the  beginning  of  March 
and  the  young,  from  five  to  eight  or  nine,  are 
born  in  April  or  early  in  May.  The  young  of 
the  gray  fox  are  born  in  May,  the  mating  season 
of  this  species  being  somewhat  later  than  that 
of  the  red  fox.  The  breeding  dens  of  the  fox  are 
usually  located  on  some  gravelly  hillside  but  in 
places  where  the  country  is  broken  and  rocky, 
they  use  natural  dens  in  the  rocks.  It  is  only 


FOX   RAISING.  87 

during  the  breeding  season  and  while  the  young 
foxes  are  still  quite  small  that  these  dens  are 
regularly  inhabited.  At  other  times  they  may 
spend  an  occasional  day  there  or  seek  safety  in 
the  dens  when  hard  pressed  by  hounds,  but  for 
the  most  part  they  prefer  to  rest  out  of  doors. 

Foxes  prefer  the  rough  hilly  countries  and 
are  usually  found  in  good  numbers  in  the  hilly 
farming  sections  where  there  are  old  pastures 


"Barrel  Shelter  for  Female  and  Young." 

and  an  occasional  patch  of  woodland.  The  gray 
fox  is  most  at  home  in  the  wooded  districts  but 
the  red  species,  including  the  silver,  cross  and 
black  prefer  the  more  open  stretches  of  country. 
In  the  North  they  will  be  found  most  plentiful 
in  the  barrens  and  sections  where  second-growth 
timber  prevails. 

The  two  species  do  not  appear  to  be  on  very 
friendly  terms  and  not  given  to  mixing  one  with 
the  other.  In  some  sections  where  red  foxes 


88  FUR   FARMING. 

were  once  numerous  and  the  gray  variety  were 
unknown,  the  grays  now  predominate,  having 
driven  out  the  red  variety.  In  other  parts  the 
reds  have  supplanted  the  grays.  This,  however, 
is  only  in  the  central  and  southern  districts,  as 
the  gray  fox  is  never  found  far  north. 

Fox  FARMING. — Fox  farming  has  been  at- 
tempted by  various  parties  from  time  to  time 
and  those  who  have  given  the  business  consid- 
erable study  and  have  persevered  have  generally 
been  successful.  Many  of  the  parties,  however, 
were  men  who  have  had  practically  no  knowledge 
of  nature,  having  gone  into  the  business  too 
deeply  in  the  start  and  being  ignorant  of  the 
nature  and  habits  of  the  animals  when  found 
in  a  wild  state,  have  as  a  consequence,  failed. 
Very  few  of  those  who  have  made  a  success  of 
breeding  the  valuable  silver  foxes  have  gone  into 
this  business  in  the  start,  but  have  first  exper- 
imented with  the  less  valuable  red  fox,  and  as 
the  silver  and  red  foxes  are  of  the  same  variety 
their  nature  and  habits  are  also  the  same,  and 
the  knowledge  of  their  habits  gained  by  exper- 
imenting with  one  is  of  equal  value  as  applied 
to  the  other. 

i  The  Arctic  foxes  are  being  raised  successfully 
on  many  of  the  islands  off  the  coast  of  Alaska. 
As  the  seas  never  freeze  over  there,  no  enclosures 


POX   RAISING.  89 

are  necessary  and  the  business  has  proved  com- 
paratively easy  from  the  start.  Such  islands 
are  not  within  the  reach  of  the  average  fox 
farmer  and  other  means  must  be  resorted  to. 
The  breeding  of  silver  foxes  has,  thus  far,  been 
carried  on  mainly  in  the  Canadian  Maratime 
Provinces  and  the  state  of  Maine,  but  it  has  also 
been  undertaken  to  some  extent  in  Michigan, 
Alaska,  Labrador  and  Newfoundland. 

We  are  certain  that  if  one  will  give  the  mat- 
ter sufficient  study,  learn  the  habits  and  nature 
of  the  animals  thoroughly  and  act  accordingly, 
success  is  sure  to  follow  and  that  the  red,  cross 
and  silver  foxes  may  be  bred  and  raised  suc- 
cessfully. Experiments  should  be  conducted  on 
a  small  scale,  for  otherwise  failure  would  mean 
a  great  loss.  We  would  advise  that  the  amateur 
conduct  his  experiments  with  red  foxes,  learn- 
ing their  habits  thoroughly  before  attempting 
the  breeding  of  the  valuable  silver-gray. 

FAVORABLE  LOCALITIES. — It  is  a  well  known 
fact  that  the  finest  furs  are  produced  in  northern 
localities  and  fox  farming  should  not  be  at- 
tempted in  the  far  south.  The  accompanying 
map,  which  is  taken  from  the  bulletin  of  the 
U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  will  show  the 
area  most  suitable  for  silver  fox  farming.  The 
plainly  lined  portions  show  the  most  suitable 


90  FUR   FARMING. 

country,  and  conditions  in  those  parts  are  most 
excellent  and  the  cross-hatched  parts  show  the 
area  where  silver  fox  raising  is  possible  and  con- 
ditions favorable.  The  red  fox  will  do  well 
somewhat  farther  south,  but  as  before  stated, 
the  warm  climate  of  the  south  is  detrimental 
to  fine  furs,  and  it  will  be  wise  to  not  locate  too 
far  south  of  the  shaded  portions  shown  on  the 
map. 

Having  decided  on  a  favorable  section  of 
country  the  next  step  is  to  find  a  suitable  loca- 
tion. It  is  not  necessary  or  even  advisable  to 
have  a  large  enclosure.  For  the  beginner  a  half- 
acre  to  an  acre  will  be  sufficient,  and  a  space 
of  four  or  five  acres  is  ample  for  extensive  oper- 
ations. If  the  enclosure  is  too  large  the  animals 
will  be  wild  and  unmanageable,  and  on  the  other 
hand  if  too  small  they  will  become  nervous  and 
restless  and  will  not  breed  well,  and  it  is  ad- 
vised also  that  the  foxes  be  not  disturbed  by 
visitors  and  be  allowed  to  live  as  quietly  as  pos- 
sible. A  sandy  soil  is  recommended,  and  there 
should  be  some  trees  for  shade,  but  a  thick  woods 
is  not  desirable. 

ENCLOSURES. — Fences  should  be  made  of  gal- 
vanized woven  wire  of  two-inch  mesh, — number 
14  or  16  wire  being  best.  The  fence  should  be 
ten  feet  in  height  and  should  be  sunk  in  the 


FOX    RAISING. 


91 


92 


FUR   FARMING. 


ground  two  feet  and  turned  in  two  feet  at  the 
top.    The  overhang  at  the  top  is  easily  adjusted 


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OUTER    COl/ffT 
FO/t  PROTECT/ON   PffOM  //VTfWD£RS 

1 

Plan  for  Arrangement  of  Fox  Yards. 


by  means  of  cross  strips  on  the  top  of  the  posts. 
Care  in  making  the  fences  is  essential,  and  if 


FOX    RAISING. 


93 


there  is  much  snow  in  winter  the  drifts  must 
not  be  allowed  to  become  high  enough  to  allow 
the  animals  to  leap  over.  It  is  advisable  to  have 
a  set  of  inside  enclosures,  and  as  it  is  necessary 
that  the  animals  are  not  annoyed  by  visitors. 
It  is  a  good  plan  to  have  the  space  between  the 
inside  and  outside  fences  filled  with  trees  and 
clumps  of  brush  so  as  to  obstruct  the  view.  The 
inner  enclosures  are  small  and  designed  for 


Box  Shelter  for  Female  and  Young. 

single  animals  and  pairs  and  should  be  about 
thirty  or  forty  feet  in  size.  There  should  also 
be  several  larger  enclosures  for  the  males  and 
females,  for,  except  during  the  breeding  season 
it  will  do  no  harm  to  allow  the  males  to  run 
together.  Each  separate  enclosure  should  be 
provided  with  a  gate  so  that  it  will  be  an  easy 
matter  to  remove  the  foxes  from  one  enclosure 
to  another.  The  plan  for  the  arrangement  of 


94  FUR   FARMING. 

the  yards  as  shown  here  is  a  good  one  and  is 
taken  from  the  Government  Bulletin. 

Each  compartment  should  be  provided  with 
small  kennels,  for  although  the  fox  will  usually 
dig  a  den,  the  nature  of  the  ground  is  not  always 
suitable  and  they  take  kindly  to  these  artificial 
dens.  They  are  usually  made  four  or  five  feet 
square  and  two  or  three  feet  high.  If  desired, 
shelters  may  be  made  of  boxes  as  shown  in  the 
cut.  No  bedding  is  required,  as  the  old  foxes  will 
do  well  without  or  will  provide  one  themselves. 

FEEDING. — Many  fox  raisers  have  failed  to 
recognize  the  fact  that  the  fox  is  almost 
omnivorous  and  give  a  strictly  meat  diet  accord- 
ing. While  this  does  not  always  have  disastrous 
results,  it  is  better  to  give  them  a  mixed  food, 
including  besides  meat,  table  scraps,  bread  and 
milk,  etc.  Overfeeding  is  a  common  trouble  and 
should  be  avoided.  Of  course  they  must  have 
sufficient,  but  should  not  be  allowed  to  become 
too  fat,  as  this  spoils  them  for  breeding  pur- 
poses; also  feeding  should  be  at  regular  inter- 
vals. The  weight  of  a  healthy  fox  is  from  six 
to  nine  pounds,  and  when  an  animal  weighs 
more  than  ten  pounds  it  is  almost  certain  that 
it  is  too  fat.  When  a  number  of  animals  are 
kept  together  in  one  enclosure  the  boldest  and 
strongest  will  usually  get  more  than  its  share 


FOX   RAISING.  95 

of  the  food.     Of  course  fresh   drinking  water 
must  be  provided  regularly. 

One  of  the  most  successful  breeders  feeds  a 
quarter  of  a  pound  of  meat  and  a  quart  of  skim 
milk  daily.  A  quarter  of  a  pound  of  meat  and 
a  handful  of  scraps  is  a  fair  daily  allowance. 


Corner  of  Fox  Yard  showing  Stones  to  Prevent  Escape  by 
Digging. 

Another  fox  farmer  feeds  along  with  the  meat  a 
hoecake  made  of  corn  meal  and  sour  milk. 

Beef,  mutton,  fish,  horseflesh,  etc.,  are  all 
good  food  for  the  fox.  Old  worn-out  animals 
may  be  secured  in  any  rural  district,  but  it  is 
absolutely  necessary  that  the  animals  be  healthy 


96  PUR   FARMING. 

and  the  meat  should  be  kept  on  ice.  One  Breeder 
claims  that  if  everything  were  purchased,  his 
foxes  would  not  cost  him  more  than  one  cent 
each  a  day,  but  as  he  feeds  considerable  table 
scraps  the  cost  is  even  less. 

BREEDING. — In  the  wild  state  the  male  fox 
mates  with  a  single  female  but  in  captivity  one 
male  will  answer  for  two  or  even  three  females 
but  it  is  best  to  have  all  animals  in  pairs.  It 
lias  been  found  best  to  place  the  male  with  the 
female  in  December  or  January  and  leave  them 
in  company  until  the  last  of  March  when  the 
males  should  be  removed.  The  females  should 
be  kept  in  the  small  enclosures  continuously  and 
the  young  foxes  removed  when  weaned.  They 
breed  the  first  season,  when  less  than  a  year  old,  - 
but  as  a  rule  the  litters  are  small. 

As  before  stated  it  is  absolutely  necessary 
to  prevent  the  animals  from  becoming  nervous 
from  too  frequent  visits  of  strangers.  This  ner- 
vousness has  a  bad  effect  on  their  breeding 
qualities.  It  is  especially  bad  after  the  young 
foxes  are  born,  as  the  mother  fearing  for  the 
safety  of  her  young,  will  move  them  about  con- 
tinuously until  they  are  badly  injured  or  die  of 
exposure.  The  keeper  also  should  not  disturb 
the  young  but  should  keep  away  from  them  as 
much  as  possible.  In  raising  silver  foxes,  only 


FOX   RAISING.  97 

the  most  perfect  specimens  should  be  kept  for 
breeding  purposes.  However,  if  there  is  a  ten- 
dency to  show  some  red  among  the  fur  this  may 
be  bred  out  entirely  by  using  care  in  selecting 
the  breeding  stock. 

As  there  is  considerable  difference  in  the  dis- 
position of  individuals  this  should  also  be  kept 


Fox  Yards,   Showing   Detail   of  Outer  Fence. 

in  mind  and  those  animals  showing  the  least 
aversion  to  man  should  be  selected,  providing,  of 
course,  that  they  are  prolific  and  otherwise  per- 
fect. 

A  party  in  Ohio  who  has  been  raising  foxes 
for  some  time  writes  as  follows : 

Two  years  ago  I  added  foxes  to  my  game  pre- 

7 


98  FUR   FARMING. 

serve  and  last  spring  my  red  gave  birth  to  five 
young  foxes.  My  black  male  fox  got  to  the 
young  and  killed  the  three  males.  I  now  have 
three  cross  foxes,  one  black  and  four  red.  I  ex- 
pect to  have  a  big  increase  in  the  spring.  Should 
I  get  a  lot  of  black  pups  next  spring  I  will  surely 
do  well  with  my  foxes. 

I  find  that  foxes  are  not  strictly  carnivorous 
(flesh  eating)  animals.  I  feed  them  stale  bread, 
milk  and  any  kind  of  a  dead  fowl,  rats,  mice, 
stale  meats,  muskrat,  coon  or  any  other  carcass. 
I  aim  to  give  them  all  they  will  eat,  yet  I  often 
have  thought  that  I  feed  them  too  much  at  one 
time  and  not  enough  at  other  times. 

I  think  foxes  should  be  fed  morning  and  even- 
ing only  about  what  they  will  eat.  They  should 
be  given  fresh  water  twice  a  day  during  the  sum- 
mer months  and  the  water  should  not  be  given 
them  in  a  shallow  vessel,  nothing  lower  than  an 
ordinary  bucket.  They  are  sure  to  foul  the  water 
if  they  can  get  over  or  in  it. 

Allow  me  to  suggest  to  any  one  who  contem- 
plates raising  foxes  that  one  of  the  essential 
things  to  do  is  to  first  build  a  kennel  in  such  a 
way  that  they  will  not  gnaw  or  dig  out.  A  safe 
fox  pen  can  be  built  by  putting  a  stone  wall  or 
concrete  two  feet  down,  setting  posts  first,  then 
build  wall  around  posts.  Don't  use  any  netting 


FOX  RAISING. 


99 


A  Tame  Fox,  Owned  by  a  Resident  of  the  Adirondacks. 


100  FUR   FARMING. 

over  two-inch  mesh  and  the  poultry  netting 
should  be  made  of  No.  17  wire.  Foxes  will  tear 
the  ordinary  two-inch  poultry  netting  as  fast  as 
you  can  put  it  on. 

My  kennel  is  50  feet  by  25  feet  and  7  feet 
high,  covered  over  the  top  with  ordinary  poultry 
netting.  One  of  the  essential  things  to  do  after 
the  kennel  is  built  is  to  see  that  it  is  properly 
underdrained  and  to  see  that  plenty  of  dry 
leaves  are  put  in  the  kennel.  Straw  will  do  if 
leaves  cannot  be  Obtained.  A  mound  of  earth 
would  be  an  excellent  thing  in  each  apartment 
of  your  kennels.  Foxes  are  great  to  be  con- 
stantly digging  in  the  ground.  Keep  plenty  of 
boxes  in  your  kennel  with  a  nice  smooth  hole  in 
each  box,  as  a  rough  hole  destroys  their  fur. 

A  summary  of  the  whole  shows  that  the 
points  most  necessary  of  consideration  for  suc- 
cess is  in  proper  feeding,  in  giving  particular 
attention  to  the  animals  during  the  breeding 
season,  in  using  special  care  to  prevent  them 
from  being  frightened  and  in  the  keeper  win- 
ning the  confidence  of  the  captive  animals.  A 
careful  study  of  their  nature  is  advised  and  it 
should  always  be  kept  in  mind  that  foxes  are 
wild  animals  and  therefore  should  have  far  more 
attention  than  is  necessary  with  domestic  ani- 
mals. 


FOX    RAISING. 


101 


CHAPTER  VII. 

SKUNK  RAISING. 

CHERE  are  but  two  species  of  skunk  found 
in  North  America,  namely,  the  common 
striped    skunk    and    the    small    spotted 
skunk  of  the  Central  States,  —  commonly 
known  as  the  "civet  cat."  This  latter  name  is 
wrong  as  the  real  civet  cat  is  an  entirely  differ- 
ent animal. 

It  is  with  the  true  skunk  that  this  article  has 
to  deal,  and  of  this  animal  naturalists  recognize 
several  varieties,  the  only  difference  being  in 
size  and  markings. 

They  are  found  in  all  parts  of  the  United 
States,  with  the  exception  of  the  mountainous 
district  of  the  West.  They  occur  again  to 
the  west  of  the  mountain  ranges  and  also 
are  found  in  most  parts  of  Southern  Can- 
ada. They  are  found  in  the  prairie  country 
and  in  the  hilly  and  mountainous  districts 
of  the  East,  and  are  at  home  in  the  "wilds" 
as  well  as  in  the  thickly  settled  districts,  how- 
ever, they  seem  to  thrive  best  in  the  farming 
sections  and  especially  if  the  country  is  of  a 
002) 


SKUNK   RAISING.  103 

hilly  nature.  Their  dens  are  located  along  the 
gravelly  hillsides,  quite  often  under  the  roots  of 
trees  and  stumps  but  in  the  prairie  they  den 
along  the  washouts  and  creek  banks.  In  thickly 
settled  sections  they  frequently  make  their  home 
under  houses  and  outbuildings,  showing  prac- 
tically no  fear  of  man  and  often  appropriate 
the  den  of  the  woodchuck. 

They  are  nocturnal  animals  and  as  a  rule  do 
not  wander  far  from  the  den  but  in  the  fall  they 
travel  farther,  looking  for  a  good  den  in  which 
to  spend  the  winter.  Again,  in  early  spring 
during  the  mating  season,  the  males  travel  con- 
siderably. While  they  are  not  a  hibernating  ani- 
mal, they  stay  in  the  dens  during  cold  weather, 
also  when  the  snow  is  loose  and  deep,  but  are 
sure  to  be  out  on  the  first  nice  night. 

The  mating  season  of  this  animal  is  in  Feb- 
ruary and  early  March  and  the  young  are  born 
mostly  in  May,  although  some  will  be  born  in 
April.  There  are  usually  from  four  to  ten  young 
in  a  litter  but  occasionally  there  will  be  a  larger 
number. 

The  value  of  a  skunk  skin  depends  mainly 
on  its  size  and  markings,  they  being  graded  by 
the  buyers  entirely  by  the  amount  of  black  fur, 
providing,  of  course,  that  the  skin  is  prime  and 
well  handled.  There  is  a  considerable  difference 


104 


FUR    FARMING. 


"They   Soon   Become  Tame  and   May  be   Handled  Without 
Danger  of  Scenting." 


SKUNK   RAISING.  105 

in  respect  to  sizes  and  markings  of  the  average 
catches  of  the  various  sections.  From  some  parts 
of  the  country  they  will  run  quite  large,  in  other 
parts  small,  and  while  in  one  section  they  will 
run  perhaps  ninety  per  cent,  long  stripes,  in 
other  parts  of  the  country  the  black  and  short 
stripe  grade  predominates.  Of  course  the  skunks 
of  the  South  are  not  as  well  furred  as  those  found 
farther  north. 

Being  slow  moving  animals,  they  can  not 
catch  the  more  active  animals  and  birds  as  do 
the  other  members  of  the  weasel  family  and  their 
food  consists  mainly  of  mice,  insects  and  grubs, 
also  of  the  eggs  and  young  of  such  birds  as  nest 
on  the  ground.  They  are  very  fond  of  poultry 
and  frequently  visit  the  poultry  houses,  killing 
the  young  birds.  They  also  feed  on  carrion.  When 
they  can  get  it  they  will  eat  almost  any  kind  of 
animal  food.  Even  in  the  wild  state  the  skunk 
is  not,  strictly  speaking,  a  carnivorous  animal 
as  they  will  eat  and  in  fact  are  fond  of  sweet 
corn  when  in  a  milky  state,  also  sweet  potatoes, 
melons  and  wild  fruits. 

They  have  no  means  of  defense  other  than 
their  scent,  but  this  is  sufficient  in  many  cases 
and  the  majority  of  people  will  give  them  a  wide 
berth.  This  scent  is  only  used  when  alarmed  or 
frightened  and  in  captivity  there  is  no  trouble 


106  FUR  FARMING. 

whatever  from  this  source  as  they  soon  learn 
that  there  is  no  occasion  for  alarm  and  become 
quite  tame. 

PAST  EXPERIMENTS. — Beyond  all  doubt  the 
skunk  has  been  given  more  consideration  by 
raisers  of  furbearers  than  any  other  animal, 
with  the  exception  of  the  fox.  There  are  many 
who  have  tried  raising  these  animals  with  more 
or  less  success  and  where  the  experimenters 
have  used  good  judgment  and  have  given  the  sub- 
ject all  of  the  attention  it  deserves,  they  have  been 
reasonably  successful.  Most  of  these  people  have 
started  in  on  a  small  scale,  having  perhaps  only 
a  dozen  or  two  of  skunks  to  start  with ;  in  fact, 
nowhere  has  the  business  been  carried  on  as  ex- 
tensively as  some  newspaper  articles  would  lead 
one  to  believe;  the  majority  of  these  parties  hav- 
ing at  the  most  only  two  or  three  hundred  ani- 
mals. One  of  the  largest  ranches  was  located 
in  Eastern  Pennsylvania,  but  for  various  rea- 
sons this  venture  was  a  failure. 

It  is  the  smaller  experimenters,  in  other  words, 
those  who  have  begun  on  a  small  scale,  who  have 
been  most  successful.  They  are  for  the  most 
part  trappers  who  had  even  before  venturing  into 
the  business  a  fair  knowledge  of  the  nature  and 
habits  of  the  skunk  and  therefore  were  more 
qualified  for  making  the  business  a  successful 


SKUNK   RAISING.  107 

one.  Trappers  naturally  take  an  interest  in  all 
nature  and  are  most  likely  to  give  the  proper 
amount  of  attention  to  the  animals,  also  learn 
their  habits  readily  and  act  accordingly  and 
these  qualities  are  absolutely  necessary  for  the 
successful  raising  of  all  fur-bearing  animals. 

The  most  successful  stock  breeders  are  those 
who  make  a  special  study  of  their  animals  and 
take  a  great  interest  in  them  and  those  who  do 
not  are  almost  certain  to  fail  and  really  deserve 
failure.  If  so  much  care  is  necessary  in  breed- 
ing domestic  animals,  how  much  more  important 
the  care  in  handling  the  wild  creatures,  knowing 
so  little  of  them  as  the  average  man  does.  But 
even  handicapped  by  lack  of  knowledge  the  ex- 
perimenters have  been  fairly  successful  from  the 
start  if  they  were  the  right  men  for  the  business. 
Without  exception  they  all  report  that  the  ani- 
mals breed  well  in  captivity  and  are  easily  kept ; 
in  a  short  time  becoming  quite  tame  and  losing 
their  fear  of  man. 

The  skunk  is  an  animal  which  is  despised  and 
feared  by  many  people  because  of  its  readiness 
to  make  use  of  its  powerful  scent,  the  only  means 
of  defense  with  which  nature  has  provided  it, 
but  it  is  only  when  frightened  that  it  uses  this 
scent  and  once  they  have  become  tame  and  learn 
that  they  will  not  be  harmed  they  are  practically 


108 


PUR   FARMING. 


SKUNK   RAISING.  109 

harmless.  We  will  say,  however,  to  those  who 
are  afraid  of  the  scent,  do  not  attempt  to  raise 
skunks,  but  devote  your  time  to  some  other  call- 
ing for  which  you  are  more  fitted. 

It  is  true  that  the  scent  glands  may  be  re- 
moved from  the  young  animals  and  we  can  see 
no  reason  why  this  should  have  any  effect  on 
their  breeding,  but  some  raisers  claim  that  it 
has,  and  therefore  this  practice  is  frowned  upon. 

The  operation  is  easily  performed  and  if 
done  when  the  skunks  are  very  young,  about 
the  time  they  first  open  their  eyes,  they  are 
seldom  harmed  by  it.  The  operator  should  pro- 
vide himself  with  an  old  bag,  and  seated  on  a 
low  bench  with  the  bag  between  his  knees  should 
place  the*  animal  in  the  bag,  leaving  only  the 
hind  quarters  uncovered.  With  a  small,  sharp 
knife  make  a  i  or  §-inch  incision  over  the  gland, 
and  with  an  awl  lift  up  on  the  gland,  which  at 
that  age  will  be  about  the  size  of  a  cranberry,  at 
the  same  time  pressing  down  gently  on  the  sur- 
rounding tissue  with  the  flat  side  of  the  knife. 
The  gland  will  lift  up  readily.  Then  holding  it 
with  the  awl,  cut  it  through  the  center,  allow- 
ing the  remaining  half  to  return  to  place.  The 
reason  the  entire  gland  is  not  removed  is  that 
it  is  firmly  united  to  the  rectum  and  the  animal 
is  likely  to  be  seriously  injured  if  one  attempts 


110  PUB   FARMING. 

to  remove  the  entire  gland.  As  the  skunks 
seldom  scent  anyway  unless  frightened,  and 
soon  become  tame  enough  to  allow  their  keeper 
to  handle  them  at  will  without  attempting  to 
discharge  their  scent,  we  think  this  practice  not 
only  unnecessary,  but  not  advisable. 

Those  who  have  failed  in  skunk  raising  were 
for  the  most  part  people  who  knew  nothing  re- 
garding the  habits  of  the  animal  and  its  care 
when  in  captivity.  They  were  men  with  capital, 
who  began  on  a  large  scale  expecting  to 
make  a  fortune  in  a  short  time,  but  in  this 
they  were  mistaken,  for  many  of  them  lost 
all  that  they  invested.  These  parties  have 
had  trouble  from  the  older  animals  killing  and 
eating  the  young,  also  from  depredations  of  owls, 
but  mainly  from  the  first  reason.  It  is  our  opin- 
ion that  this  cannibalistic  tendency  is  caused 
by  improper  feeding,  as  those  parties  who  have 
used  care  in  that  respect  have  had  no  trouble 
whatever. 

To  those  who  are  thinking  of  embarking  in 
the  business  of  skunk  farming,  we  would  say, — 
start  on  a  small  scale  with  only  a  small  number 
of  animals,  say  two  dozen  females  and  six  males. 
Give  them  every  possible  attention  and  study 
them  under  all  conditions.  Do  not  expect  to 
make  a  fortune  in  a  short  time. 


_SKUNK   RAISING.  Ill 

ENCLOSURES. — After  you  have  decided  on  this 
business  the  first  thing  is  to  find  the  proper  lo- 
cation and  make  a  suitable  enclosure.  There 
should  be  a  spring  on,  or  a  small  stream 
crossing  the  ground  to  be  inclosed,  but  at  the 
same  time  the  ground  must  not  be  wet;  in  fact, 
it  should  be  of  rather  dry  nature,  so  that  there 
will  not  be  too  much  dampness  in  the  dens. 
There  should  be  banks  of  earth  for  the  animals 
to  den  in  and  the  ground  should  have  a  gradual 
slope  so  that  it  will  drain  readily.  If  it  is  of  a 
sandy  nature  it  will  be  all  the  better.  Some  who 
have  tried  skunk  farming  have  located  the  yards 
on  the  shore  of  a  small  lake  or  pond  and  have 
included  a  portion  of  the  pond  in  the  enclosure. 
This  is  a  good  idea  and  it  will  not  be  necessary 
to  extend  the  fence  very  deep  into  the  water,  as 
the  skunk  is  not  a  water  animal  and  will  not 
dive  under;  however,  where  the  fence  crosses  a 
stream  of  running  water  the  fence  should  reach 
to  the  bed  of  the  stream  as  the  water  will  fall 
considerably  during  dry  weather. 

The  enclosures  should  be  large.  When  the 
animals  are  inclosed  in  small  yards  or  pens  they 
become  infested  with  fleas,  ticks,  etc.,  and  they 
do  not  do  well.  Such  small  enclosures  will  an- 
swer for  a  short  time  but  as  soon  as  possible 
they  should  be  placed  in  a  large  roomy  yard. 


112  FUE   FARMING. 

For  fencing  material,  galvanized  wire  netting  of 
one-inch  mesh  is  advised  for  the  breeding  yards, 
and  1^-inch  for  the  outside  fence,  as  the  young 
animals  will  escape  through  a  two-inch  inesh. 
The  outside  fence  should  be  seven  feet  in 
height.  Under  ordinary  conditions  the  skunk 
would  not  escape  over  a  four-foot  fence,  but 
there  is  danger  in  winter  from  drifting  snow, 
and  dogs  and  other  animals  must  be  kept 
out  at  all  times;  therefore,  the  fence  should 
be  of  the  height  mentioned  and  it  must  be 
turned  in  at  the  top  or  a  sheet  of  tin  placed 
along  the  edge  to  prevent  the  animals  from 
climbing  out. 

The  bottom  of  the  fence  should  be  made  as 
explained  in  the  chapter  dealing  with  en- 
closures. We  will  say,  however,  that  some 
skunk  raisers  simply  place  flat  stones  on  top 
of  the  ground  at  the  foot  of  the  fence  to  prevent 
the  animals  from  digging  out,  and  some  say 
that  one  of  the  most  satisfactory  ways  is  to 
place  small-mesh  wire  netting  flat  on  the  ground 
at  the  foot  of  the  fence,  inside,  of  course,  and 
cover  lightly  with  dirt.  They  claim  that  this 
is  a  very  good  way  to  prevent  the  skunks  from 
escaping  by  digging,  but  on  the  whole  we  think 
that  the  method  described  under  "Enclosures" 
is  best. 


(113) 


114  PUR   FARMING. 

The  interior  of  the  enclosure  should  be  di- 
vided into  compartments,  using  netting  for  the 
fences  but  they  need  not  be  so  high.  The  largest 
compartment  would  be  for  the  females  and  there 
should  be  a  smaller  one  for  the  males,  also  one 
for  the  young  animals  after  they  have  become 
large  enough  to  take  care  of  themselves. 
Some  also  make  small  yards  in  which  to 
place  the  females,  two  or  three  together,  after 
the  young  animals  are  born.  The  most  of 
those  who  have  tried  skunk  breeding,  however, 
have  not  found  this  necessary,  but  there  should 
always  be  a  separate  enclosure  for  the  males. 
When  the  number  of  animals  increases  it  will  be 
necessary  to  have  a  few  small  breeding  yards, 
large  enough  for  ten  or  twelve  animals.  One 
need  not,  however,  make  such  an  elaborate  en- 
closure in  the  start  but  can  enlarge  it  as  needed, 
adding  more  compartments. 

In  each  compartment  a  number  of  dens 
should  be  made  by  digging  a  trench  and  cover- 
ing afterwards.  While  the  animals  will  dig  dens 
if  necessary,  they  prefer  even  while  in  a  wild 
state  to  use  dens  already  made.  Boxes,  bar- 
rels or  pens  with  board  floors  should  not  be 
used.  Some  of  the  successful  ones  claim  that 
this  has  a  tendency  to  cause  a  thick  pelt  and 
thin  fur  and  say  that  it  is  absolutely  necessary 


SKUNK  RAISING.  115 

that  they  have  natural  dens  in  the  ground.  The 
dens  should  be  made  quite  deep  so  that  there 
will  be  no  danger  from  frost  in  winter. 

No  matter  what  style  of  den  is  used  it  should 
be  so  constructed  that  there  is  no  danger  of  it 
getting  damp.  Banks  of  earth  of  a  kind  which 
do  not  absorb  and  retain  water  make  good 
places  in  which  to  dig  dens,  and  it  is  easy  to 
incline  the  entrance  so  that  water  from  rain 
or  melting  snow  cannot  drain  into  the  passage. 
The  entrance  should  be  made  large  enough  so 
that  the  animals  can  pass  in  and  out  easily,  for 
if  the  passage  is  small  there  is  danger  that  the 
fur  will  be  injured.  There  should  also  be  plenty 
of  dens,  so  that  if  one  becomes  damp  or  infected 
with  vermin,  the  occupants  can  take  up  their 
quarters  elsewhere. 

The  skunks  are  perfectly  cleanly  about  the 
dens  and  always  deposit  their  droppings  in  one 
corner,  or  outside.  They  seldom  discharge  their 
scent  and  unless  he  were  to  see  it,  one  might 
pass  close  by  a  skunk  "ranch"  and  never 
know  it. 

FEEDING. — Skunks  should  have  plenty  of 
food  especially  during  the  summer  and  they 
should  be  fed  at  regular  intervals,  giving  just 
enough  for  a  meal  each  time.  It  is  advisable  to 
give  a  mixed  diet,  partly  animal  and  partly  veg- 


116  FUR   FARMING." 

etable.  They  will  eat  almost  all  kinds  of  flesh 
and  fish,  table  scraps,  fruits,  especially  if  very 
ripe,  melons,  sweet  potatoes,  berries,  etc.  One 
of  the  most  satisfactory  foods  is  bread  and  milk, 
but  it  is  considered  too  expensive  by  some  peo- 
ple. However,  it  could  be  given  occasionally. 
They  will  eat  carrion,  but  such  food  should 
not  be  given,  for  it  is  likely  to  cause  dis- 
ease. If  near  a  slaughter  house  one  can  get 
plenty  of  offal  and  in  the  country  one  can  buy 
old,  worn-out  horses,  etc.,  but  one  should  remem- 
ber that  the  skunk  will  consume  an  amazing 
amount  of  food.  One  party  claims  that  three 
hundred  skunks  will  eat  two  horses  in  a  week. 
In  the  fall  especially,  when  they  are  laying  on 
fat  for  winter,  they  should  have  plenty  of  food. 
In  winter  they  do  not  require  so  much. 

It  should  be  remembered  that  it  is  a  lack  of 
food  that  causes  them  to  eat  their  young  and  one 
should  feed  well  during  the  spring  and  summer. 

Skunks  feed  largely  on  insects,  grubs,  etc., 
and  it  is  to  be  regretted  that  one  can  not  supply 
this  food.  They  are  fond  of  eggs,  either  fresh 
or  spoiled,  and  should  be  given  a  feed  of  this 
kind  occasionally  if  possible.  They  also  have  a 
fondness  for  poultry  of  all  kinds. 

The  matter  of  providing  sufficient  food  is  not 
as  difficult  as  it  would  appear  at  first  glance. 


SKUNK  RAISING.  117 

If  the  farm  is  located  near  a  large  town  or  city, 
hotel  and  restaurant  keepers  will  generally  save 
table  scraps,  stale  bread,  etc.,  on  request,  if  one 
will  make  a  regular  habit  of  calling  for  it.  Even 
in  the  country  the  neighbors  will  help  out.  The 
farmers  will  be  only  too  glad  to  have  you  take 
the  dead  stock,  poultry,  etc.,  thus  saving  them 
the  time  and  labor  of  otherwise  disposing  of  it. 

BREEDING. — As  before  stated  the  mating  sea- 
son comes  late  in  February  and  in  March  and 
the  young  animals  make  their  appearance  in 
May,  the  period  of  gestation  being  about  nine 
weeks. 

One  male  animal  will  easily  serve  eight  or 
ten  females  and  he  should  be  left  in  their  com- 
pany a  number  of  days.  After  that  he  should  be 
removed  and  to  make  certain,  another  male 
should  be  installed  for  a  few  days.  Two  males 
should  never  be  allowed  with  the  females  at  one 
time  or  they  will  fight  and  one  or  both  may  be 
seriously  injured.  This  is  the  plan  which  is  used 
by  the  most  successful  skunk  farmers  and  is 
recommended. 

Great  care  should  be  exercised  in  the  selection 
of  the  males  for  breeding  stock.  Only  the  large 
and  healthy  animals  of  good  color  should  be  used 
and  all  others  should  be  killed  and  their  skins 
marketed  while  they  are  in  good  condition. 


118  FUR   FARMING. 

While  the  animals  do  not  always  breed  strict- 
ly true  to  color,  the  white  markings  may  be 
greatly  reduced  and  the  general  stock  improved 
by  selected  breeding.  One  should,  each  year  se- 
cure fresh  breeding  stock  from  other  localities 
and  related  animals  should  not  be  allowed  to 
breed  together  or  in  a  few  years  the  result  will 
be  disastrous.  One  can  not  be  too  careful  in 
this  respect  for  it  is  very  important. 

After  the  mating  season  the  females  should 
be  separated,  placing  three  or  four  together  in 
small  enclosures  and  they  should  be  well  fed 
or  otherwise  they  may  kill  and  eat  the  young. 
They  should  be  allowed  to  remain  in  these  small 
enclosures  until  the  young  animals  are  large 
enough  to  take  care  of  themselves,  when  they 
should  be  separated  and  the  females  may  again 
be  placed  in  the  large  enclosure. 

GENERAL  INFORMATION. — From  the  com- 
mencement of  the  breeding  season  until  late  in 
the  fall  the  animals  require  a  larger  amount  of 
food  than  during  the  winter  and  especially  dur- 
ing the  breeding  season  and  while  the  mother  is 
still  nursing  the  young  they  will  require  plenty 
of  nourishing  food.  They  require  fresh  drinking 
water  at  all  times  and  the  enclosures  should  be 
so  arranged  that  each  compartment  will  be  sup- 
plied. 


SKUNK  RAISING.  119 

As  before  stated  one  should  use  care  in  select- 
ing animals  for  breeding  purposes  as  it  is  in 
this  way  that  "the  quality  of  the  fur  will  be  im- 
proved and  the  business  made  to  be  a  profitable 
one.  All  small  and  weak  animals  and  those 
showing  considerable  white  fur,  especially  males 
should  be  killed  off  while  the  fur  is  in  good  con- 
dition. If  you  wish  to  increase  the  number  of 
animals  do  not  be  tempted  for  the  sake  of  the 
higher  prices  realized  for  the  finer  skins  to  kill 
off  animals  that  should  be  kept  for  breeding. 

The  animals  should  never  be  allowed  to  be- 
come frightened  by  the  intrusion  of  dogs  into 
the  enclosure  —  dogs  should  be  kept  away  at 
all  times. 

The  skunk  raiser  must  watch  closely  at  all 
times  to  see  that  the  enclosure  fences  are  in  good 
shape  so  that  the  animals  do  not  escape.  If  they 
are  found  digging  holes  near  the  fence,  these 
holes  should  be  filled  up  so  as  to  discourage  the 
workers. 

Fleas  and  other  parasites  are  likely  to  bother 
the  animals  and  they  should  have  plenty  of 
room  so  that  they  can  change  dens  when  the 
.old  habitations  become  infested  with  vermin. 

On  the  whole,  one  should  study  the  habits 
of  the  animals  on  every  opportunity  and  attend 
to  their  wants.  If  one  will  give  the  proper  at- 


120  FUR  FARMING. 

tention  to  the  animals  and  take  an  interest  in 
them  there  is  no  reason  why  he  should  not  suc- 
ceed. 

The  experiences  of  others  are  always  inter- 
esting and  instructive,  and  in  this  connection 
we  publish  herewith,  three  letters  received  from 
Mr.  J.  M.  Bray,  of  Montgomery  Co.,  Pa.  The 
first  was  received  in  January,  1909,  and  is  as 
follows : 

Skunk  raising  for  profit  is  a  failure  on  a  small  scale, 
while  on  a  large  scale  it  would  be  a  paying  business,  from 
50  to  100%  profit.  I  will  give  you  my  experience  on  a  small 
scale.  I  had  12  females  and  3  males,  all  black,  the  first 
season,  average  lot  of  young  from  3  to  6,  average  grade, 
about  85  per  cent,  black,  and  balance  2,  3  and  4. 

The  natural  habits  of  the  skunk  is  to  live  in  holes  in 
the  ground,  rocks,  trees,  stumps,  etc.  Their  food  consists 
of  mice,  birds,  bugs,  crickets,  grasshoppers,  bees,  wasps,  yel- 
low jackets,  angle  worms,  seeds,  berries,  ground  roots  and 
barks.  My  pen  was  14  x  36  feet,  4  feet  high  with  J  inch 
mesh  wire  floor  and  1  inch  mesh  wire  top  and  covering.  I 
had  a  number  of  boxes  for  harbors.  My  pen  is  secure 
against  escape  but  entirely  too  small  for  the  purpose  intended. 

Some  one  will  say,  why  not  build  a  large  pen,  which  I 
will  discuss  later  on.  In  the  first  part,  I  wish  to  discuss 
the  disadvantage  in  starting  on  a  small  scale.  To  have  a 
large  number  in  a  small  place  will  cause  them  to  crowd 
and  fight  and  kill  one  another.  To  have  a  separate  pen  for 
each  female  is  an  expensive  institution  to  feed  and  care 
for  in  the  second  place.  After  rutting  season  the  female 
will  kill  the  male,  which  I  think  they  do  to  protect  their 
young.  They  are  liable  to  a  disease,  sore  throat,  diphtheria, 
or  some  similar  disease,  which  causes  them  to  die.  I  have 
known  females  that  had  no  young  ones  take  the  young  of 
other  ones  to  their  boxes  and  fight  the  real  mothers  away 
so  the  young  had  no  nursing  and  starved  to  death.  Others 


SKUNK   RAISING.  121 

that  had  young  would  steal  the  young  of  two  or  three  others 
and  would  have  more  than  she  could  care  for,  and  con- 
sequently some  would  starve  to  death. 

Another  disadvantage  in  a  small  enclosure  is  this:  They 
get  tame  and  will  come  out  in  the  day  time  to  feed,  get 
exposed  to  sunlight,  which  causes  the  fur  to  fade  to  a 
certain  extent,  and  some  other  causes  which  are  detrimental 
to  their  perfection.  As  I  enumerated  their  natural  food, 
every  one  can  see  with  a  passing  glance  that  it  would  be 
almost  impossible  to  supply  a  lot  of  skunks  with  that  kind 
of  food,  so  it  becomes  necessary  to  substitute  some  other 
kind  of  food,  such  as  dead  horses,  cows,  chickens,  corn  and 
various  other  things  which  a  man  with  a  small  lot  cannot 
always  have,  and  if  not  fed  properly  they  are  cannibalistic 
—  they  kill  and  eat  one  another. 

I  tried  to  show  you  the  dark  side  first  and  now  will 
try  and  show  you  the  other  side.  As  a  rule  the  hunters 
and  trappers  are  poor  people,  unable  to  carry  out  their  ideas 
to  a  financial  success.  While  the  prospects  are  as  bright  or 
even  brighter  than  a  gold  mine,  it  is  like  every  other  busi- 
ness, it  takes  capital  to  make  capital,  and  with  some  one  who 
has  the  experience  and  practical  knowledge,  how  to  take 
care  of  them,  I  am  safe  in  saying  that  there  is  50  to  100% 
profit  in  the  business.  To  make  a  success  a  man  should  have 
at  least  $2,500  to  start  with.  First  a  man  should  enclose 
at  least  one  acre  of  ground  with  a  3  foot  concrete  founda- 
tion in  the  ground,  and  about  a  6  foot  board  fence  on  top 
to  keep  dogs  out  and  skunks  in,  a  probable  cost  of  fifteen 
hundred  dollars. 

Next  at  least  100  females  and  25  males  at  a  probable 
cost  of  three  hundred  dollars  and  the  balance  for  their  feed 
and  a  man  to  take  care  of  them  with  a  business-like  attention. 
A  man  should  raise  90  per  cent,  of  all  young.  The  necessary 
attention  would  be  to  feed  daily  and  give  water,  and  in 
the  season  of  maternity  to  see  that  the  females  would  not 
steal  one  another's  young  and  crowd  one  another  in  the 
boxes.  Separate  the  "males  and  females. 

My  experience  in  three  years'  skunk  raising  was  no 
financial  success,  but  in  practical  and  experimental  knowledge 
I  am  prepared  to  take  up  today  where  I  left  off  as  a  failure 
and  turn  it  to  success.  It's  the  want  of  capital. 


122 


SKUNK  RAISING.  123 


Thirty  years  ago  black  skunks  would  sell  at  from  50  to 
75  cents.  I  remember  when  black  skunks  went  to  $1.00;  it 
was  like  sending  a  herald  out  with  bells  to  proclaim  the 
good  news.  What  are  they  today?  One  of  the  leading  furs 
on  the  market,  not  under  their  own  name,  but  various  as- 
sumed names.  The  time  is  coming  or  is  here  now  when  it 
is  profitable  to  raise  skunks  for  their  fur.  I  will  say  the 
demand  is  greater  than  the  supply  today.  The  demand  is 
increasing  because  of  its  heavy  fur,  strong  pelt,  fine  texture, 
for  its  wearing  qualities,  and  on  the  other  hand  the  supply 
is  decreasing  for  various  reasons.  The  large  forest  and 
prairie  fires,  devastating  large  sections  so  that  neither  bud, 
snake  nor  fur  bearing  animal  can  exist  and  the  high  price 
which  spurs  every  hunter  and  trapper  to  his  utmost  effort 
are  the  principal  reasons.  Then  come  the  city  coon  hunters 
with  a  pack  of  hounds  to  hunt  for  sport  about  the  first  of 
September.  They  generally  get  about  one  coon  and  kill  six 
or  eight  skunks.  You  can  follow  their  trail  by  the  smell 
and  dead  bodies  of  skunks,  which  I  call  wanton  destruction 
of  valuable  game.  I  still  follow  the  night  dogs  for  skunks 
and  opossum.  J.  Hallman  and  myself  started  to  hunt  on 
October  15th,  1908,  and  ended  night  hunting  December  7th. 
We  hunted  every  night  that  the  weather  was  fit  except 
Sundays.  We  hunted  43  nights  with  dogs  and  caught  170 
skunks,'  18  opossums,  2  coons,  1  mink  and  2  muskrats.  We 
received  $222.70  for  the  lot  with  10  per  cent,  off  for  the  feed 
for  dogs,  which  would  leave  $100.00  per  man  for  43  nights' 
hunting. 

Now  some  of  you  hunters  ask  some  comical  questions 
how  to  prevent  skunk  scent.  The  best  way  I  know  of  is  to 
stay  home  and  go  to  bed.  I  hunt  a  little  for  fun  and  a  whole 
lot  for  money.  I  have  no  doubt  some  of  my  critics  will 
say  he  must  have  blue  pelts  and  damaged  fur.  I  will  say 
that  I  have  neither.  In  the  first  place  I  have  my  dogs  trained 
not  to  take  hold  of  the  skunks,  and  when  we  come  to  them 
we  pick  them  up  alive  and  put  them  in  a  bag  and  carry 
them  home  and  put  them  in  a  pen  and  feed  and  keep  them 
until  they  are  prime. 

Now  the  carry  home  -part,  that  is  where  the  work  part 
comes  in.  My  lowest  number  was  3  and  my  highest  number 
was  11;  average  lot  about  6  or  7.  I  weighed  the  lot  of  11 


124  FUR    FARMING. 


and  they  weighed  78  pounds,  a  little  over  7  pounds  apiece. 
Now  when  you  have  6  or  8  skunks  and  carry  them  5  to  10 
miles  around  in  the  dark,  over  hills  and  valleys,  bushes, 
fields,  and  fences  for  five  or  six  hours,  you  don't  have  to  be 
rocked  to*  sleep  when  you  get  home. 

J.   M.    BRAY. 

The  second  letter  was  received  in  February, 
1910,  and  reads  as  follows: 

In  reply  to  your  letter  of  inquiry  in  regard  to  skunk 
raising,  will  say  skunks  can  be  raised  as  easily  as  house  cats, 
providing  you  have  an  enclosure  where  they  cannot  dig  out 
or  climb  over.  For  every  hundred  old  skunks,  you  should 
have  an  acre  of  ground  enclosed. 

I  experimented  for  three  years  on  a  small  scale.  The 
first  year  I  had  one  male  and  three  females.  They  brought 
forth  fifteen  young.  One  died,  plus  four  old  ones,  leaving 
eighteen  —  eleven  females  and  seven  males.  Five  of  the 
young  graded  as  No.  2,  balance  star  black. 

The  second  year  I  started  with  twelve  females  and  two 
males,  bringing  forth  forty-three  young,  plus  fourteen  old 
ones,  totnl  fifty-seven,  less  three,  which  died,  leaving  a  bal- 
ance of  fifty-four.  I  took  out  seventeen  males  and  five  No. 
2  females,  leaving  a  balance  of  thirty-two  black  ones. 

The  third  year  the  females  had  from  three  to  six  young. 
Unfortunately  to  myself  for  skunk  raising,  I  hold  a  position 
in  Atlantic  City  and  could  not  attend  them  mvself  and  had 
to  give  them  into  the  care  of  another  man.  The  party  had 
no  interest  in  them  except  the  pay  he  received  from  me  for 
the  care  of  them. 

About  the  first  of  August  the  skunks  dug  a  hole  in  the 
pen  and  made  their  escape.  That  veritably  settled  mv  skunk 
raising,  but  in  the  fall  and  winter  I  do  considerable  night 
hunting  with  dogs,  which  I  have  trained  not  to  take  hold 
of  them.  T  catch  them  alive  and  use  the  pen  I  have  to  keep 
them  in.  In  that  way  I  have  live  skunks  from  the  first  of 
November  to  about  the  first  of  January. 

About  one  year  ago,  T  received  an  order  from  a  party 
in  Russia  through  a  weekly  paper  called  "The  Gentleman 


SKUNK   RAISING.  125 

Farmer,"  published  in  the  state  of  New  York.  In  regard  to 
shipping,  I  made  an  elaborate  box  in  which  to  ship  this  lot 
of  skunk,  but  the  party  paid  all  expenses. 

Now  for  home  shipment,  you  can  take  an  ordinary  box, 
suitable  in  size,  and  line  with  tin.  Make  a  small  apartment 
to  keep '  separate,  and  with  ordinary  care,  you  can  handle 
them  without  scenting,  but  you  don't  want  to  throw  the  box 
around,  as  if  you  wrere  handling  a  bunch  of  old  bags. 

In  regard  to  express  Companies  and  railroads  receiving 
them,  I  had  quite  a  time  with  my  first  shipment,  until  I  could 
convince  the  agents  that  you  could  ship  skunks  without 
scenting.  They  charged  me  double  rates  for  shipments. 

I  have  this  day  received  an  order  for  five  live  skunks 
from  Thompson  &  Skinner,  dealers  in  hard  and  soft  coal, 
Iowa  City,  Iowa,  which  I  expect  to  'fill. 

J.  M.  BRAY. 

Another  letter,  received    during  the  winter 


I  have  received  so  many  letters  making  inquiries  in  re- 
gard to  skunk  raising  that  I  have  had  photos  taken  of  myself 
and  skunks,  and  as  there  are  a  great  many  writers  "from 
Missouri,"  I  can't  show  you  all,  nor  can  you  all  come  to 
see  me,  so  I  will  do  the  next  best  thing  by  showing  you  in 
the  photo  how  I  handle  live  skunks. 

This  picture  was  taken  on  Sunday,  November  27.  I  had 
about  twenty  visitors,  besides  the  photographer,  to  look  on ; 
some  ventured  into  the  pen ;  others  thought  it  would  be 
safest  on  the  outside. 

Norris  Johnson,  John  K.  Hallman  and  myself  went  into 
the  ring  and  started  the  performance  by  taking  a  pair  each 
of  live  skunks  by  the  tails  and  holding  them  while  the  pic- 
tures were  taken.  Some  of  the  onlookers  thought  that  was 
wonderful  the  way  we  handled  those  skunks.  Now,  right 
here  is  where  I  want  to  say  that  you  can  do  it  just  as  well 
as  I  can,  if  it  is  necessary  .for  you  to  handle  them.  Go  at 
them  with  a  quiet,  but  firm  step ;  take  a  good  hold  on  their 
tails  and  you  can  carry  them  anywhere  you  want  to.  I  have 
had  a  number  of  inquiries  whether  my  skunks  were  odorless. 


126  FUR   FARMING. 

I  will  say  they  are  not  and  it  is  not  necessary  to  make  them 
odorless.  If  you  use  them  gently  you  can  have  them  around 
for  a  year  and  no  one  would  know  that  you  had  them.  Some 
ask,  will  black  skunks  breed  all  black,  or  will  some  breed 
back  into  lower  grades?  It  is  a  known  fact  that  all  animals 
will  breed  back  sometimes,  but  by  having  black  you  will 
breed  black.  But  I  find  by  having  black  bucks  and  by  having 
short  stripe  females  (and  no  threes  or  fours)  your  breed 
will  be  from  fifty  to  seventy-five  per  cent,  black,  or  No.  1. 

Some  have  asked  me  what  to  feed  them.  Skunks  will 
eat  anything  that  a  cat  or  dog  will  eat,  also  various  fruits, 
such  as  apples,  pears,  persimmons,  sw.eet  corn  or  field  corn 
(so  long  as  the  grains  are  soft).  Where  you  have  a  number 
you  will  have  to  figure  on  the  feed.  Skim  milk  and  stale 
bread,  butchers'  scraps,  meat  from  dead  animals,  dead 
chickens  or  anything  of  that  nature,  but  it  will  be  necessary 
to  vary  their  feed  occasionally. 

If  you  start  with  a  pair  or  so  for  an  experiment  you 
do  not  need  such  a  large  enclosure,  but  if  you  want  to  make 
a  business  of  it,  then  I  would  advise  you  not  to  be  afraid 
to  spend  a  few  dollars  on  your  pen  and  the  larger  the  lot 
the  larger  the  pen.  Don't  crowd  them  or  you  will  be  the 
loser. 

J.  M.  BRAY. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

MINK  RAISING. 

CHERE  is  only  one  species  of  mink  found 
in  North  America,  although  there  are  a 
number    of    varieties    differing    in    size, 
color  and  quality  of  fur.     Thus  we  find 
in  Northern  Maine  and  New  Brunswick  a  very 
small  variety  having  a  fine  silky  fur  of  a  very 
dark  shade;  farther  west  and  south  a  somewhat 
larger  variety,  paler  in  color,  and  throughout 
the  Mississippi  valley  and  parts  of  the  South, 
also    parts    of    Western  Canada,  a  very  large 
mink  is  found,  but  running  quite  pale,  and  the 
fur    somewhat    coarser    than    the    northeastern 
varieties. 

Again,  on  parts  of  the  Pacific  Coast,  a  very 
small  and  poorer  quality  are  found,  and  the 
mink  from  the  lower  Yukon  River  of  Alaska 
are  said  to  be  of  very  poor  quality.  One  or 
more  varieties  are  found  in  almost  every  part 
of  the  United  States,  Canada  and  Alaska. 
Wherever  there  is  running  water  their  tracks 
may  be  seen;  but  they  seem  to  prefer  the  smaller 
streams,  as  a  rule,  and  they  will  be  found  as 
(127) 


128  FUR   FARMING. 

plentiful  in  the  thickly  settled  parts  as  in  the 
wilderness. 

Mink  are  great  travelers,  but  each  individual 
animal  has  his  regular  route  and  seldom  ven- 
tures far  out  of  his  course.  While  they  travel 
streams  and  lake  shores  as  much  as  possible, 
they  do  not  hesitate  to  leave  the  stream  and  cut 
across  country  in  order  to  reach  some  other 
water-course.  During  the  mating  season  they  also 
wander  away  from  the  streams  more  than  at 
other  times.  While  they  are  always  found  in 
the  neighborhood  of  fresh  water,  they  are  not  a 
water  animal,  and  in  following  a  stream,  alwaj's 
run  on  the  bank,  but  usually  as  near  to  the  water 
as  possible. 

In  the  thickly  settled  districts  where  the  most 
valuable  fur-bearing  animals,  such  as  the  silver 
foxes,  otters,  etc.,  are  not  to  be  found,  the  mink  is 
the  most  valuable  and  is  eagerly  sought  by  the 
trappers.  The  fur  is  at  its  best  during  the  first 
two  months  after  it  becomes  prime,  which  in 
the  North  will  be  about  November  1st,  and  in 
the  South  perhaps  a  month  later.  After  the  first 
two  months,  the  fur  commences  to  fade,  especial- 
ly where  the  country  is  open  and^  the  animal  is 
exposed  to  the  bright  light,  for  the  mink  is  not, 
strictly,  a  nocturnal  animal.  The  darkest  skins 
come,  as  a  rule,  from  the  timbered  parts  of  the 


MINK   RAISING.  129 

country.  While  the  female  is  smaller  than  the 
male,  she  is  also  darker,  and  the  skins  have  about 
an  equal  value. 

The  food  of  the  mink  consists  mostly  of  rab- 
bits, partridges,  quail,  squirrels,  muskrats,  mice, 
fish,  frogs,  birds'  eggs,  etc.  While  they  will  eat 
stale  meat,  if  hungry,  they  prefer  strictly  fresh 
food.  Occasionally  they  will  pay  a  visit  to  the 
poultry  house,  for  like  most  animals  of  the  wea- 
sel family,  they  have  a  decided  liking  for  the 
domesticated  birds.  They  are  very  fond  of  fish, 
and  when  same  may  be  secured  easily,  they  will 
kill  large  numbers,  merely  for  the  sake  of  killing. 

They  are  active  and  hardy  little  animals, 
apparently  almost  tireless,  as  they  will  travel 
long  distances  in  a  night.  They  are  perhaps 
most  active  during  the  fall  months,  and  in  the 
North  they  travel  very  little  during  the  cold 
part  of  winter. 

The  burrow  or  den  of  the  mink  is  usually 
located  in  the  high  bank  of  some  stream,  but 
they  frequently  inhabit  deserted  dens  of  other 
animals,  but  always  near  the  water.  It  is  in 
these  dens  that  the  female  and  her  offspring 
spend  the  summer  months,  never  straying  far 
from  home. 

The  first  two  weeks  of  March  is  the  minks' 


130  FUR   FARMING. 

season  for  mating,  and  the  young  —  from  four 
to  six  —  are  born  about  six  weeks  later.  When 
confined  in  enclosures  where  the  diet,  water  and 
temperature  are  similar  with  each  animal,  there 
is  so  little  difference  in  the  time  of  mating  and 
bearing  their  young,  that  five  or  six  litters  may 
make  their  appearance  within  twelve  hours  of 
each  other. 

The  young  are  blind  from  four  to  five  weeks, 
but  are  very  active  and  as  playful  as  kittens. 
The  mother  weans  them  when  they  are  eight  or 
ten  weeks  old.  At  about  four  weeks  the  mother 
begins  to  feed  them  meat,  and  they  learn  to 
suck  at  it  before  they  have  teeth  to  eat  it.  The 
young  are  fed  by  the  mother  on  frogs,  fish,  mice, 
etc.,  until  they  are  three  or  four  months  old, 
when  she  leaves  them  to  shift  for  themselves. 
The  young  soon  separate  and  do  their  hunting 
alone.  They  do  not  pair  and  the  male  is  a  rover 
and  "free  lover." 

Mink  are  extremely  cleanly  and  as  soon  as 
the  den  becomes  foul,  the  mother  moves  the 
family  to  some  other  nest. 

MINK  BREEDING. — There  are  a  great  many 
readers  of  the  H-T-T  who  live  in  the  city,  that 
long  for  some  way  to  profitably  spend  their  idle 
time.  I  will  give  a  successful  way  of  breeding 
mink,  according  to  Mr.  Boughton's  Guide: 


MINK    RAISING.  131 

"Wild  adult  mink  are  almost  untamable,  but 
young  ones  readily  submit  to  handling  and  are 
easily  domesticated.  The  time  to  secure  young 
mink  is  in  May  or  June  when  they  begin  to  run 
with  their  dams.  The  streams  must  be  quietly 
watched  for  mink  trails,  and  these,  if  possible, 
tracked  to  the  nest.  When  they  leave  the  hole, 
the  young  ones  may  be  secured,  or  they  may  be 
dug  out.  Those  who  own  a  breeding  stock  of 
mink  ask  very  high  prices  for  them,  but  if  the 
aforesaid  plan  is  carried  out,  it  is  an  easy  mat- 
ter to  get  the  young  wild  ones. 

MANAGEMENT  OF  MINK. — Mink  being  by  na- 
ture solitary,  wandering  animals,  being  seldom 
seen  in  company  except  in  mating  season,  it  is 
impossible  to  rear  them  successfully  if  large 
numbers  are  kept  together  constantly;  therefore, 
their  enclosure  should  be  a  large  one.  The  male 
and  the  female  should  be  permitted  to  be  together 
frequently  from  the  middle  of  February  until, 
the  middle  of  March.  At  all  other  times  keep 
them  entirely  separate. 

Many  persons  ask  how  they  may  distinguish 
the  male  animals  from  the  females.  In  reply  to 
this  question  we  will  say  that  the  owner  of  such 
animals  soon  learns  to  know  each  individual  by 
sight  and  will  readily  pick  out  the  males.  This 
applies  also  to  skunks  and  other  animals.  In 


132  FUR   FARMING. 

case  the  breeder  is  unable  to  distinguish  them, 
however,  he  can  mark  the  males  before  placing 
them  with  the  female  animals. 

"About  this  season  the  mink  should  be  al- 
lowed plenty  of  fine  grass,  which  they  will  carry 
into  their  boxes  to  make  their  nests  out  of.  A 
box  3  or  4  feet  long  and  18  inches  wide  is  the 
shape  they  prefer.  It  should  be  placed  as  far  as 
possible  from  the  water  to  prevent  the  mink  from 
carrying  mud  and  water  into  it.  The  young 
mink,  when  first  born,  are  small  and  delicate, 
destitute  of  any  kind  of  fur  and  much  resemble 
young  rats.  If  the  old  mink  is  tame,  the  young 
ones  may  be  taken  out  of  the  nest  and  handled 
when  they  are  three  weeks  old.  They  will  soon 
learn  to  drink  milk,  and  may  be  fed  every  day. 
At  three  weeks  of  age  they  may  be  taken  from 
their  mother  and  put  into  a  pen  by  themselves, 
and  then  they  will  soon  become  very  playful,  are 
pretty,  and  make  much  better  mothers  than  they 
would  if  allowed  to  run  with  the  old  one. 

The  shelter  should  be  in' the  shape  of  a  long 
box,  5  or  6  feet  wide  and  3  or  4  feet  high,  set 
upon  legs,  with  a  good  floor  and  roof.  Divide 
into  separate  apartments  6  feet  long  (longer 
would  be  better),  the  front  of  each  apartment 
to  be  furnished  with  a  swinging  door  of  strong 
screen  wire,  with  hinges  at  the  top,  and  a  latch 


MINK   RAISING.  133 

on  the  bottom.  A  trough  G  inches  square,  should 
run  the  entire  length  of  pen  at  rear  side;  one 
end  of  the  trough  should  be  made  several  inches 
lower  than  the  other,  so  that  the  water  could  be 
drawn  off.  With  this  arrangement  the  water 
can  be  turned  in  at  one  end  of  trough,  and  be 
drawn  off  and  changed  as  often  as  desired.  The 
lower  end  of  the  trough  should  be  a  little  deeper 
than  the  other  end  to  prevent  the  water  from 
running  over.  Each  apartment  is  furnished 
with  a  box  3  feet  long  and  13  inches  wide.  On 
one  side  of  the  box,  and  near  one  end  is  made  a 
round  hole  about  4  inches  in  diameter,  and  pro- 
vided with  a  sliding  cover,  so  by  means  of  a 
stick  it  can  be  opened  or  closed  from  the  outside. 
This  is  so  the  mink  can  be  closed  up  while  the 
pen  is  being  cleaned. 

On  the  top  of  the  box  and  at  the  other  end 
should  be  a  door  large  enough  to  put  in  grass, 
straw,  etc.,  for  the  nest,  and  take  out  young.  It 
is  necessarjr  that  they  have  an  abundance  of  pure 
soft  water,  fresh  air,  desirable  shade  and  plenty 
of  exercise.  These  conditions  secure  for  the 
mink  a  good  quality  of  dark  fur  and  good  health. 
Brush,  weeds,  etc.,  are  allowed  to  grow  up  in 
the  yard,  but  not  near  enough  to  the  fence  to 
admit  of  their  climbing  up  and  out. 

The  fence  for  the  enclosure  should  be  of  poul- 


134 


FUR   FARMING. 


try  netting  of  one-inch  mesh.  If  of  larger  mesh 
the  young  animals  will  escape.  The  general  plan 
for  the  fence  should  be  the  same  as  described 


Mink  Enclosure  in'  Detail. 

under  the  heading,  "Enclosures."  There  should 
be  separate  apartments  for  the  males  and  fe- 
males, and  also  some  smaller  breeding  pens.  As 


MINK  RAISING.  135 

it  is  not  advisable  to  attempt  handling  the  ani- 
mals, each  compartment  should  be  provided  with 
a  small  gate  so  that  the  animals  may  be  driven 
from  one  pen  to  the  other.  During  the  breeding 
season,  and  afterwards,  while  the  young  animals 
are  under  the  care  of  the  mother,  the  same  gen- 
eral methods  of  handling  as  is  recommended  in 
skunk  raising,  should  be  adopted. 

At  all  times,  plenty  of  fresh  water  must  be 
provided,  and  the  enclosures  should  be  so  ar- 
ranged that  the  water  will  be  distributed  to  all 
parts.  While  the  mink  is  always  found  near 
the  water,  it  is  not  a  water  animal,  as  is  the 
muskrat,  and  a  large  body  of  same  is  not  needed. 
A  spring  or  a  small  stream  is  all  that  is  needed ; 
and  a  pond  may  be  dug  in  each  of  the  large  en- 
closures. 

Careful  and  regular  feeding  is  advised.  The 
mink  is  strictly  a  carnivorous  animal,  and  al- 
ways prefers  fresh  food.  The  matter  of  sup- 
plying sufficient  food  will  be  more  difficult  than 
in  the  case  of  the  skunk  and  muskrat.  As  they 
are  fond  of  fish,  if  one  is  near  a  place  where 
they  may  be  obtained,  the  feeding  will  be  com- 
paratively easy.  They  should  not,  however,  be 
fed  on  fish  alone.  An  occasional  fowl  will  be 
acceptable,  also  rabbit,  muskrat,  etc. 


136  FUR   FARMING. 

The  natural  home  and  breeding  place  of  the 
mink  is  near  the  water.  Their  den  is  often  under 
an  old  stump,  tree  or  in  some  drift  pile.  The  nest 
where  the  young  are  born  generally  being  in  the 
ground.  When  the  animals  become  tame  enough, 
the  raiser  should  provide  dens  similar  to  those 
used  in  their  wild  state.  These  can  be  made  by 
burying  tile  in  the  ground  and  in  other  ways 
making  artificial  burrows.  A  few  hollow  logs 
placed  in  the  enclosure  would  be  enjoyed  by  the 
animals. 

Many  report  that  the  males  kill  the  young. 
This  should  be  guarded  against  by  keeping  the 
males  separate.  Some  hesitate  about  starting  a 
"minkery"  for  fear  that  the  animals  will  not  fur 
properly.  There  is  no  danger  on  that  point  if 
properly  fed,  watered  and  given  homes  in  keep- 
ing with  those  they  lived  in  when  roving  at  their 
own  free  will.  This  only  brings  out  more  forc- 
ibly the  fact  that  those  who  are  going  to  be  the 
most  successful  mink  raisers  should  have  a 
natural  aptitude  for  the  business  —  trappers, 
hunters,  animal  lovers,  etc.  Who  has  made  the 
greatest  success  at  raising  stock  in  your  neighbor- 
hood —  the  man  who  loves  stock  or  someone  who 
thought  they  saw  a  fortune  in  the  business  but 
neither  loved  animals  or  knew  anything  about 
them?  We  venture  the  answer,  without  fear  of 


MINK  RAISING.  137 

contradiction,  that  it  has  been .  the  party  who 
loves  and  delights  in  stock.  Remember,  this  ap- 
plies to  fur  animals  as  well  as  horses,  sheep  and 
cattle. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

OPOSSUM  RAISING. 

CHE  opossum  is  a  southern  animal  and  is 
found  in  abundance  in  most  parts  of  the 
Southern  States.  In  late  years  they  have 
been  moving  farther  northward  and  are 
now  found,  though  not  numerous,  as  far  north 
as  Centra]  Pennsylvania;  but  are  found  most 
plentifully  in  the  wooded  portions  of  the  South, 
where  they  are  such  a  common  animal  as  to  be 
well  known  to  all. 

They  are  slow  moving  and  inoffensive,  having 
no  means  of  defense  whatever.  When  approached, 
they  make  a  great  show  by  opening  the  mouth, 
and  present  a  rather  fierce  appearance,  but  when 
touched  by  man  or  animal,  they  pretend  to.  be 
dead,  and  this  very  characteristic  habit  has  given 
rise  to  the  expression,  "playing  'possum." 

While  the  opossum  is  a  nocturnal  animal,  it 
is  sometimes  seen  in  daylight,  but  this  is  of  rare 
occurrence.  They  do  not  hibernate  but  will  re- 
main in  the  dens  during  cold  weather,  and  do 
not  like  to  roam  about  when  the  leaves  are  dry 
and  rustly. 

(138) 


OPOSSUM   RAISING.  139 

The  dens  are,  as  a  rule,  located  in  the  grounu, 
under  a  rock,  log  or  tree,  and  are  quite  shallow ; 
the  nest  at  the  extremity  being  lined  with  leaves 
or  grass.  They  also  den  in  hollow  logs  and 
stumps  occasionally,  and  in  natural  openings 
in  rock  bluffs. 

The  young  of  this  animal  are  born  in  the  last 
half  of  April  and  the  beginning  of  May,  the 
number  of  young  varying  from  six  to  twelve, 
and  sometimes  even  more.  When  born  they  are 
very  small  and  imperfectly  formed  and  are  im- 
mediately placed  by  the  mother  in  the  pouch  on 
her  belly,  where  they  remain  until  they  have 
attained  a  perfect  form  and  have  become  large 
enough  to  walk  about.  After  being  placed  in  the 
pouch,  they  attach  themselves  to  the  teats  of  the 
mother,  and  remain  there  until  they  have 
become  large  enough  to  move  about.  They 
will  reach  their  full  growtli  within  a  year,  if 
the  conditions  are  favorable — that  is,  if  they 
have  plenty  of  food.,  etc.  In  captivity,  when 
well  cared  for,  they  attain  considerable  size  by 
midwinter. 

The  opossum  is  omnivorous,  feeding  alike  on 
animal  and  vegetable  food,  but  it  prefers  flesh 
to  fruit.  They  feed  on  carrion,  and  on  any 
small  animal  which  their  slow  movements  will 
allow  of  capturing,  also  on  eggs  and  young  birds, 


140  FUR   FARMING. 

for  they  are  good  climbers.  They  are  quite 
fond  of  wild  fruits,  such  as  persimmons,  polk 
berries,  apples  and  paw-paws;  also  of  certain 
vegetables,  especially  onions.  They  also  eat 
mice,  insects,  etc. 

Opossums  are  hunted  extensively  in  the 
South,  and  when  pursued  they  usually  climb  the 
nearest  tree,  unless  they  are  close  to  the  den. 
As  an  article  of  food  they  are  highly  esteemed, 
especially  by  the  colored  people,  and  find  a  ready 
sale  in  the  market. 

While  the  fur  of  this  animal  is  not,  strictly 
speaking,  a  valuable  one,  to  the  prospective  fur- 
farmer  it  is  well  worth  considering,  especially 
if  located  near  a  market.  At  present  prices  the 
young  animals  by  midwinter,  will  average  a  dol- 
lar each  in  value,  when  selling  both  the  skin  and 
carcass.  The  ease  with  which  they  may  be  raised 
is  also  an  important  factor,  so  that  on  the  whole, 
in  many  sections,  they  will  be  found  to  be  a 
profitable  animal  to  handle. 

Opossums  are  fairly  good  climbers  and  the 
enclosure  should  have  a  wide  strip  of  tin  around, 
as  described  elsewhere  in  the  chapter  on  Enclos- 
ures. •  They  will  also  gnaw  out  of  wooden  en- 
closures if  there  is  a  crack  or  any  chance  to  get 
a  start.  They  will  readily  climb  out  of  the 
enclosure  if  made  of  wood  unless  covered  or  at 


OPOSSUM   RAISING.  141 

least  partially  covered.  There  has  been  no  bet- 
ter or  cheaper  material  found  for  constructing 
fences  for  opossum  raising  purposes  than  gal- 
vanized wire. 

They  are  not  much  given  to  digging  and  the 
wire  need  not  be  buried  very  deep  in  the  earth. 
If  the  ground  is  solid,  18  inches  will  be  deep 
enough.  The  animals,  if  properly  fed,  watered 
and  cared  for,  will  soon  become  accustomed  to 
their  quarters,  and  make  little  or  no  effort  to 
escape.  The  young  will  become  tame  and  quite 
playful. 

The  natural  home  of  the  opossum  can  be  de- 
scribed as  south  of  a  line  drawn  west  from  New 
York  City  through  Pennsylvania,  Northern  Ohio 
and  Indiana,  south  of  Chicago,  through  Iowa 
near  Des  Moines,  and  into  Nebraska  near  Omaha, 
extending  about  half  way  into  Nebraska,  then 
South  through  Kansas,  all  of  Oklahoma  and  the 
lowlands  or  the  Eastern  half  of  Texas.  The 
opossum  is  not  a  cold  weather  animal,  and  in 
its  wild  state  would  freeze  if  it  inhabited  terri- 
tory much  farther  north  than  the  northern 
boundary  of  the  line  shown.  A  severe  winter  a 
few  years  ago,  is  said  to  have  frozen  large  num- 
bers in  their  dens  in  Southern  Ohio,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  parts  of  West  Virginia,  Indiana  and 
Illinois. 


PUB    FARMING. 

In  their  natural  or  wild  state,  they  often 
hole  up  in  shallow  dens,  old  logs,  trees,  etc.,  and 
while  they  are  endowed  with  the  instinct  of 
"playing  'possum"  when  injured,  their  instinct 
along  other  lines  seems  very  shallow,  as  they  do 
not  always  know  enough  to  "get  in  out  of  the 
cold ;"  in  other  words,  on  the  approach  of  severe 
winter  weather,  they  do  not  all  seek  deep  dens 
where  the  ground  does  not  freeze. 

While  the  natural  home  of  the  opossum  is  in 
the  section  as  outlined,  there  is  no  reason  why 
they  cannot  be  successfully  raised  hundreds  of 
miles  north  of  their  northern  limit.  The  thing 
to  guard  against  will  be  freezing.  The  raiser 
must  see  that  they  have  good  and  deep  burrows 
—  deep  enough  that  the  ground  will  never  freeze 
to  their  nest.  They  should  have  plenty  of  leaves 
in  their  nest.  If  the  enclosure  is  in  a  thicket, 
and  there  are  trees  within  and  leaves  near,  the 
animals  will  no  doubt  carry  an  abundance  of 
leaves  into  their  dens  for  nests.  If  there  are  no 
trees  in  the  enclosure,  see  that  a  supply  is  fur- 
nished each  den  before  freezing  weather  in  the 
fall. 

The  opossum  is  going  to  become  one  of  the 
important  animals  in  fur-farming  for  various 
reasons:  They  are  prolific  breeders,  bringing 


OPOSSUM   RAISING.  143 

forth  from  6  to  12  at  a  litter;  grow  rapidly; 
are  easily  fed  and  eat  a  great  variety  of  food. 

The  opossum  raiser  has  two  sources  of  reve- 
nue —  fur  and  carcass.  There  is  a  ready  market 
for  the  carcasses  in  all  cities.  The  grower 
should  make  arrangements  with  butchers  and 
others  to  take  so  many  carcasses  on  a  certain 
date.  The  fur  is  at  its  best  from  about  Thanks- 
giving to  the  middle  of  February.  Thanksgiv- 
ing, Christmas  and  New  Years  are  three  holi- 
days when  the  fur  will  be  prime  and  the  meat 
in  demand.  In  cities  like  New  York,  Boston, 
Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  Pittsburg,  Buffalo, 
Cleveland,  Detroit,  Columbus,  Cincinnati,  In- 
dianapolis, Chicago,  Milwaukee,  Omaha,  Des 
Moines,  Kansas  City,  St.  Louis,  etc.,  a  market 
can  be  had  in  each  for  large  quantities  at  each 
of  these  holidays,  as  well  as  considerable  quan- 
tities each  week  during  the  winter  months.  In 
the  smaller  places,  from  5000  up,  there  will  be 
found  a  demand  for  the  meat,  so  that  the  mar- 
ket for  the  carcasses  as  well  as  fur,  is  one  that 
will  always  be  open.  Prices  at  which  the  car- 
casses sell  will  of  course  vary,  depending  to  some 
extent  upon  the  supply  of  other  meats,  as  well  as 
the  times,  etc. 

When  it  is  taken  into  consideration  that  the 


144 


FUR   FARMING. 


OPOSSUM  RAISING.  145 

litters  are  large ;  that  they  eat  cheap  food ;  their 
growth  is  rapid  and  that  the  pelt  is  extra,  does 
not  this  animal  promise  to  lead  as  a  money 
maker  over  some  of  the  other  and  higher  priced 
fur-producers? 

In  the  latitude  of  West  Virginia,  the  young 
are  born  about  the  middle  of  April.  In  two 
months,  or  by  June  fifteenth,  they  are  about  the 
size  of  rats  and  always  "gaining."  Six  months 
later,  or  December  fifteenth,  if  well  fed  and  cared 
for,  they  will  weigh  from  nine  to  fifteen  pounds. 
By  this  it  will  be  seen  that  at  only  eight  months 
old  —  born  April  fifteenth  and  killed  December 
fifteenth  —  they  have  attained  sizes  ranging  from 
medium  to  large.  The  largest  opossum  we  have 
ever  heard  of  is  one  owned  by  Kelly  Cunning- 
ham, of  Guernsey  Co.,  Ohio,  which  weighs  29 
pounds. 

The  males  should  be  kept  by  themselves,  at 
least  from  the  time  the  young  are  born,  until 
they  are  two  months  of  age  or  older.  The  fe- 
male, with  her  large  family,  should  be  given 
plenty  of  food  from  the  time  the  young  are  a  few 
days  old  until  weaned,  as  she  requires  a  great 
deal  of  food  to  satisfy  her  cravings  and  to  supply 
the  numerous  young. 


146  FUR  FARMING. 

As  the  severe  weather  is  over  by  the  time  the 
young  are  born,  very  good  places  for  the  old  can 
be  made  in  boxes,  old  logs  and  the  like.  These 
should  be  so  placed  and  constructed  that  food  can 
be  given  to  the  female  handily,  so  as  not  to  dis- 
turb her  and  the  young  more  than  necessary. 


CHAPTER  X. 

MUSKRAT  RAISING. 

CHE  muskrat  is  one  of  our  most  common 
furbearing  animals  and  is  found  in 
greater  numbers  than  any  other  animal, 
notwithstanding  its  fur  is  very  popular 
and  is  gradually  increasing  in  value. 

Muskrats  are  found  throughout  the  greater 
part  of  the  United  States  and  Canada,  but  for 
various  reasons  are  more  plentiful  in  certain 
sections.  Being  water  animals  they  are  found 
in  greater  numbers  in  marshy  places,  on  ponds 
and  lakes  and  sluggish  rivers,  but  also  thrive 
and  are  found  in  fair  numbers  on  the  smaller 
and  more  rapid  streams.  They  are  very  plenti- 
ful in  Western  Canada  and  especially  in  the 
marshy  country  lying  west  of  Hudson  Bay.  In 
the  salt  water  marshes  of  Delaware  and  Mary- 
land they  are  probably  found  in  greater  num- 
bers than  in  any  other  part  of  the  world.  There, 
hundreds  of  the  houses  of  these  little  creatures 
may  be  seen  in  every  direction. 

It  is  said  that  the  value  of  the  catch  from 
Dorchester  County,  Md.,  will  usually  run  to 

(147) 


148  FUIi    FARMING. 

$20,000  a  year  and  in  some  seasons  reaches  al- 
most to  |50,000.  The  number  of  animals  re- 
quired to  reach  such  a  figure  must  necessarily 
be  very  large  and  the  number  of  muskrats  found 
in  that  locality  may  be  judged  from  the  fact  that 
the  open  season  for  these  animals  and  the  only 
time  of  year  when  they  are  trapped,  is  during 
the  months  of  January,  February  and  March. 
They  are  also  very  plentiful  in  the  marshes  along 
the  western  shore  of  Lake  Erie  and  about  Lake 
Champlain.  They  are  not  found  on  parts  of  the 
Pacific  Coast  and  portions  of  the  South  and 
never  range  south  of  the  State  of  Arizona. 

While  there  is  only  one  species  of  the  musk- 
rat,  naturalists  find  several  varieties  differing 
mainly  in  size  and  color.  For  instance,  there  is 
the  southern  muskrat,  which  is  comparatively 
small  and  is  dull  sooty  in  color,  found  in  the 
lower  Mississippi  Valley  and  along  the  coasts  of 
Mississippi  and  Alabama;  then  there  is  the  Dis- 
mal Swamp  Muskrat  of  the  Dismal  Swamp,  Va., 
which  is  larger,  darker  and  richer  colored  than 
the  common  variety  and  has  larger  teeth.  In 
Labrador  a  small  and  very  dark  variety  is  found. 

The  muskrats  of  the  Northwest,  while  of  the 
same  variety  as  those  of  the  Central  and  East- 
ern districts,  are  small  and  thin  skinned  and 
as  a  consequence  are  less  valuable.  What  causes 


The  Muskrat  at  Home. 


150  FUE   FARMING. 

this  difference  in  size  is  not  known,  but  it  is 
supposed  to  be  due  either  to  the  presence  of  alkali 
in  most  of  the  Northwestern  waters  or  to  the 
scanty  and  poor  quality  of  its  natural  food. 

The  popularity  of  muskrat  fur  is  on  the  in- 
crease, while  large  numbers  are  exported  to  for- 
eign countries,  it  is  being  more  and  more  usecl  in 
the  United  States  and  Canada.  It  is  also  dyed 
and  is  then  known  as  electric  seal  and  French 
seal. 

Along  the  Atlantic  Coast  south  from  New 
York  for  hundreds  of  miles  the  marshes  along 
the  coast,  bays,  rivers  and  creeks  are  literally 
alive  with  muskrats.  The  marsh  owners  farm 
out  the  "rat  catching"  privileges,  usually  on  the 
halves.  The  State  of  Delaware  protects  the  rats 
some  eight  or  nine  months  each  year.  There 
are  laws  in  several  other  states  protecting  these 
animals.  A  few  states  prohibit  the  destroying 
of  rat  houses  at  all  times. 

While  hundreds  of  people  follow  rat  catching 
along  the  marshes  the  owners  and  state  see  that 
enough  are  left  for  breeding  and  replenishing  the 
marshes.  They  get  their  food  from  the  flags  and 
other  weeds  largely,  which  flourish  in  these 
swamps.  Fifty  acres  of  "swamp"  has  been 
known  to  furnish  2000  rats  or  fifty  per  acre  year 
after  year. 


MUSKRAT   RAISING.  151 

In  this  section  black  muskrats  are  not  uncom- 
mon, the  catch  some  seasons  running  as  high  as 
40%  black,  but  as  a  rule  it  is  lower.  What 
causes  this  strange  color  phase  is  unknown. 
Black  muskrats  are  met  with  occasionally  in 
other  sections  but  nowhere  is  the  proportion  as 
large  as  along  the  East  Coast. 

What  nature  in  a  way  does  for  the  muskrat 
in  the  Eastern  swamps,  fur  raisers  can  help  to 
accomplish  in  hundreds  of  localities  throughout 
America.  There  are  scores  of  ponds,  small  lakes, 
swamps,  etc.,  in  practically  all  states  where  the 
muskrat  is  found  that  can  be  made  to  yield  large 
profits  from  muskrats.  They  are  easily  raised, 
in  fact,  will  raise  themselves  if  given  "half  a 
chance." 

There  is  no  doubt  whatever  that  the  fur  of 
this  animal  will  steadily  increase  in  value. 
While  there  will  be  fluctuations  as  in  the  past, 
we  do  not  believe  that  prices  will  ever  go  as  low 
as  they  were  some  years  ago.  Our  conclusions 
in  this  are  based  on  the  fact  that  the  catch  is 
growing  smaller  and  the  popularity  of  furs  for 
wearing  apparel  and  especially  muskrat  fur,  is 
steadily  increasing,  also  the  population  of  all 
countries  grows  larger  each  year  and  there  is 
bound  to  be  a  steady  demand  for  furs. 

Another  thing  worthy  of  consideration  is  the 


152  FUB   FARMING. 

fact  that  the  flesh  of  the  muskrat  has  become  a 
ver,y  popular  dish  in  many  of  the  Eastern  cities 
and  there  is  a  market  for  the  carcass  of  the  ani- 
mal. The  trappers  of  Maryland  and  Delaware 
find  ready  sale  for  the  flesh. 

The  muskrats  found  on  the  East  Coast  as 
well  as  those  found  in  the  marshes  and  the  shal- 
low lakes  and  ponds  of  other  parts  of  the 
country  are  of  the  house  building  kind.  It 
should  be  understood,  however,  that  the  muskrat 
living  in  houses  and  those  living  in  burrows  in 
the  banks  of  streams  are  the  same  variety,  their 
different  styles  of  habitation  being  due  to  the 
different  conditions  of  their  respective  locations. 
Where  streams  are  swift  or  where  there  is  danger 
of  the  houses  being  carried  away  by  freshets, 
they  dig  burrows  in  the  bank,  making  the 
entrance  below  the  surface  of  the  water. 

These  burrows  extend  sometimes  twenty-five 
or  thirty  feet  into  the  bank  and  the  interior 
chamber  is  sometimes  quite  large.  Along  the 
streams  of  the  farming  sections,  much  damage 
is  done  by  muskrats  because  of  these  burrows. 

The  houses  of  the  marsh-dwellers  are  com- 
posed of  grass  and  flags,  grass  roots,  mud,  etc. 
They  are  of  cone  shaped  structure  and  to  those 
unacquainted  with  the  animals,  they  are  simply 
piles  of  grass  and  weeds  in  the  water,  for  that 


MUSKRAT   RAISING.  153 

is  what  they  resemble.  The  entrances  to  these 
houses  are  always  deep  under  water.  It  is  said 
that  the  muskrats  build  their  houses  with  thicker 
walls  when  they  feel  instinctively  that  an  un- 
usually severe  winter  is  approaching. 

In  addition  to  the  house  the  animals  build 
small  feeding  places  near  by.  These  feed  beds 
as  they  are  called,  are  constructed  in  the  same 
way  as  the  houses,  but  only  rise  to  the  level  of 
the  water.  These  beds  are  the  dining  rooms  of 
the  muskrats,  for  to  them  they  bring  all  of  their 
food  so  that  they  may  have  a  place  to  rest  while 
they  are  enjoying  their  meal.  They  also  have 
like  the  raccoon,  a  habit  of  washing  their  food 
before  they  will  eat  it. 

The  muskrat  is  a  vegetarian  and  seldom  eats 
any  animal  food.  In  the  wild  state  their  natural 
food  is  grass  and  roots,  fruit,  grain  and  clams 
or  mussels.  They  are  also  fond  of  parsnips,  car- 
rots, artichokes,  white  flag  roots,  wild  rice,  pond 
lily  roots,  sweet  corn  and  pumpkin,  and  will  eat 
almost  all  kinds  of  vegetables. 

It  will  be  seen  that  in  captivity  the  food 
problem  would  be  easily  solved.  They  are  very 
fond  of  wild  rice,  and  those  who  have  ponds 
suitable  for  muskrats  and  are  contemplating 
the  raising  of  these  animals  would  do  well  to 
sow  them  with  wild  rice.  The  rice  mav  be  ob- 


154  FUR   FARMING. 

tained  from  almost  any  of  the  seed  houses  and 
it  will  grow  in  six  or  eight  feet  of  water.  The 
wild  rice  should  be  bought  in  September,  as  it 
is  at  that  time  that  it  is  gathered,  and  it  should 
be  sown  at  once,  but  it  may  be  kept  a  week  or  ten 
days  if  it  is  not  allowed  to  heat,  as  heating  ruins 
it  as  seed. 

Muskrats  are  also  fond  of  pumpkins  and  it 
is  a  cheap  and  satisfactory  food.  Some  of  them 
will  lay  up  stores  of  food  for  winter,  but  they 
do  not  all  do  this.  Where  the  streams  are  rapid 
they  can  go  out  to  hunt  for  food  at  almost  all 
times,  and  where  they  are  located  on  lakes  and 
marshes  that  freeze  over  in  winter  they  can  find 
plenty  of  food  in  the  water  under  the  ice.  This 
food  is  taken  to  the  feed  bed  to  be  eaten. 

In  early  spring  the  warmth  from  their  bodies 
will  sometimes  thaw  a  hole  through  the  ice  over 
the  bed  and  the  muskrat  stops  this  hole  with 
grass  roots,  etc.  The  trapper  is  looking  for 
just  such  places  and  it  is  the  bunch  of  grass 
roots  on  the  ice  that  gives  them  away.  The 
steel  trap  is  soon  in  place,  awaiting  the  coming 
of  the  animal,  and  many  of  them  are  trapped 
in  this  way. 

The  breeding  habits  of  the  muskrat  are  dif- 
ferent from  those  of  other  furbearing  animals, 
as  they  will  have  three  litters  in  a  season.  The 


MUSKRAT   RAISING.  155 

first  are  born  in  April,  and  there  will  be  from 
six  to  nine  young.  It  is  claimed  that  the  female 
of  the  first  litter  will  also  bear  young  that  season 
and  this  accounts  for  the  small  rats,  or  kits, 
caught  during  the  fall  season. 

It  would  appear  from  this  that  the  animals 
should  increase  in  numbers  very  rapidly,  but 
they  have  many  enemies  other  than  man,  and 
perhaps  one-half  of  the  muskrats  born  in  a 
season  never  reach  maturity.  With  the  excep- 
tion of  man,  their  greatest  enemies  are  the  birds 
of  prey,  such  as  owls,  hawks,  buzzards,  etc.,  but 
chiefly  the  owl,  as  it  is  a  nocturnal  bird  and  has 
a  fine  opportunity  to  capture  the  unwary.  The 
fox  frequently  makes  a  capture,  as  does  also  the 
mink  and  otter. 

It  is  a  deplorable  fact  that  there  is  a  large 
proportion  of  small  animals  in  the  trapper's 
catch.  These  are  the  young  muskrats,  for  while 
they  grow  rapidly  the  first  summer,  it  requires 
several  years  for  them  to  attain  full  size,  yet 
they  class  as  No.  1  the  first  season.  The  old 
animals  are  larger  and  their  fur  is  more  val- 
uable than  that  of  the  young.  For  those  who 
raise,  the  animals  there  would  be  less  trouble 
from  catching  young  and  immature  rats. 

Muskrats  do  not  become  fully  prime  until 
midwinter  and  many  of  them  are  not  strictly 


MUSKRAT    RAISING.  157 

number  one  until  March.  When  fully  prime  the 
skin  will  be  of  a  cream  or  pink  color,  with  no 
dark  spots  showing.  Winter  caught  skins  will 
have  a  number  of  dark  spots,  while  those  taken 
in  the  fall  have  a  very  pronounced  stripe  or  two 
on  the  back. 

Along  the  Atlantic  Coast  for  many  years 
land  owners  have  rented1  the  rat  catching 
privileges  to  "ratters"  on  shares,  which  is  gen- 
erally one-half  of  the  catch.  The  "ratters"  only 
trap  when  the  fur  is  at  its  best,  so  that  the  sup- 
ply is  holding  out.  On  lands  "free  for  all"  the 
rats  are  thinned  out. 

During  recent  years,  property  owners  in 
various  rat  producing  sections  have  awakened 
to  the  fact  that  their  "swampy  land"  is  of  more 
value  for  the  animal  fur  harvest  than  for  any 
other  purpose. 

Muskrats  are  easily  raised  arid  increase 
rapidly.  They  often  make  their  homes  in  the 
banks  of  canals,  fish  ponds,  etc.,  coming  from 
nearby  waters  of  their  own  accord.  These  places 
seem  to  be  ideal  places  for  muskrats  and  instead 
of  leaving  they  remain  year  after  year,  even 
though  they  are  trapped  and  the  property 
owners  resort  to  other  means  endeavoring  to 
get  rid  of  them.  Muskrats  are  not  afraid  of 
civilization,  and  do  well  in  thickly  settled  sec- 


158  FUR   FARMING. 

tions  where  there  are  rivers,  creeks,  lakes,  ponds, 
marshes,  etc.  They  seem  to  do  well  in  their 
natural  state  where  they  have  water  and  feed 
and  on  some  ponds  hundreds  are  caught 
annually. 

As  already  mentioned,  these  animals  need 
little  care.  If  the  waters  where  the  animals  are 
is  naturally  productive  of  muskrat  food,  the 
animals  will  take  care  of  themselves  unless  the 
numbers  are  too  large  and  they  consume  the 
entire  food  supply.  The  raisers  should  guard 
against  this  by  feeding,  as  the  natural  supply 
should  be  protected  so  as  to  help  furnish  the 
food  supply  year  after  year. 

Lakes,  ponds,  etc.,  that  abound  in  wild  rice, 
flags,  lilies,  etc.,  make  an  ideal  home  for  musk- 
rats,  as.  they  are  fond  of  both  the  wild  rice  seed 
and  roots,  as  well  as  the  roots  of  flags  and  lilies, 
on  which  they  feed  when  the  surface  is  frozen 
over.  Artichokes  should  also  be  started,  as 
muskrats  are  fond  of  them. 

Those  who  expect  to  raise  this  fur-bearer 
should  take  into  consideration  that  little  or  no 
fencing  is  required  on  lakes,  ponds  and  creeks 
if  proper  feed  grows  there.  If  the  feed  is  not 
there  the  prospective  raiser  should  see  that  it  is 
started  at  once  by  sowing  wild  rice  seed,  trans- 
planting some  flags  and  lily  roots  to  his  muskrat 


MUSKRAT   RAISING.  159 

waters.  In  fact,  the  prospective  muskrat  raiser 
should  have  the  food  supply  well  under  way 
before  the  rats  are  bought  or  secured  or  they 
will  destroy  it. 

There  are  no  doubt  hundreds  of  places  that 
can  be  converted  into  ideal  "muskrat  preserves" 
by  a  little  work.  Low,  marshy  land  on  which 
the  water  is  not  deep  enough  to  be  dammed. 
Such  a  place  would  require  a  wire  fence  around 
it.  Perhaps  the  best  way  would  be  to  place  the 
fence  several  rods  back  from  the  water,  as  there 
would  then  be  no  danger  of  the  animals  burrow- 
ing under.  The  fence  should  be  of  five-foot  wire, 
one  foot  in  the  ground.  Where  the  fence  crosses 
any  inlets  or  outlets,  the  wire  should  be  put 
much  deeper  for  two  rods  or  more  on  each  side 
and  it  would  be  well  to  place  flat  stones  in  the 
bottom  of  the  trench,  as  shown  and  described 
in  the  chapter  on  Enclosures. 


CHAPTEB  XL 

RACCOON  RAISING. 

CHE  raccoon  is  closely  allied  to  the  bears, 
although   much   smaller.      Like   them   it 
possesses    an    omnivorous    appetite,    is 
plantigrade,  and  hibernates  during  cold 
weather.     It  is  found  throughout  the  Southern, 
Central  and  Eastern  States,  and  in   Southern 
Ontario  and  Nova  Scotia.     It  is  also  found  in 
good  numbers  on. the  Pacific  coast,  northward 
into  British  Columbia ;  but  they  are  found  in 
greatest  numbers  in  the  extreme  South  of  the 
United  States,  and  especially  in  Florida,  Louis- 
iana and  the  lowlands  of  Arkansas  and  Texas. 

Their  natural  home  is  in  the  heavily  timbered 
parts,  but  they  are  also  found  in  the  sparsely 
wooded  bottom  lands  of  the  Central  States. 

They  den,  as  a  rule,  in  hollow  trees,  well  up 
from  the  ground,  and  seldom  if  ever  in  a  tree 
which  has  a  continuous  hollow  and  an  opening 
at  the  bottom,  preferring  a  hollow,  broken  off 
limb,  or  a  hole  in  the  trunk,  high  up  on  the  tree. 
In  some  places  they  den  in  natural  caves  in  the 
rocks,  and  in  the  western  part  of  their  range, 
it  is  said  that  they  sometimes  occupy  dens  in 

(160) 


RACCOON   RAISING.  161 

some  high  and  dry  bank  of  earth.  During  the 
mating  season  the  males  travel  considerably, 
and  will,  when  daylight  approaches,  seek  a  place 
of  rest  in  any  hollow  tree  that  is  to  be  found, 
or  failing  to  find  this,  may  spend  the  day  in  a 
hollow  log  or  under  a  stump. 

The  mating  season  conies  mainly,  late  in 
February  or  early  in  March,  and  the  young,  from 
four  to  six  in  number,  are  born  in  April  and  the 
beginning  of  May.  They  remain  with  the  parents 
for  some  time  during  the  summer,  but  will  find 
a  den  for  themselves  as  soon  as  possible.  How- 
ever, they  will  be  found,  the  first  season,  in  the 
near  vicinity  of  the  parents'  den. 

The  food  of  the  coon  is  variable,  to  conform 
with  conditions  of  different  sections,  but 
wherever  found,  they  feed  on  both  vegetable  and 
animal  food.  Fish,  frogs,  crawfish,  clams,  eggs 
of  birds,  and  turtles;  water  snails,  wild  fruits, 
such  as  grapes  and  berries,  nuts,  acorns,  etc., 
are  all  eaten  with  a  relish.  They  are  especially 
fond  of  corn  when  in  the  milky  state,  and  in  late 
summer  they  feed  on  it  extensively.  They  are 
fond  of  poultry,  also  of  honey,  and  will  dig  out 
the  nests  of  bumble  bees  when  they  find  them, 
for  the  sake  of  the  little  bit  of  "sweet"  which  is 
found  therein.  In  the  South  they  frequently 


162  FUR   FARMING. 

make  trouble  for  the  melon  growers  by  raiding 
the  melon  patch,  being  very  fond  of  this  fruit. 


A  Neat  and  Substantial   Shelter   for  Coons. 


They  are  nocturnal  animals  and  are  seldom 
seen  by  daylight.     In  their  travels  they  follow 


RACCOON    RAISING.  163 

the  streams  mostly,  and  catch  fish  by  feeling 
under  the  stones  in  shallow  water.  Whenever 
possible,  they  wash  their  food  before  eating. 

The  raccoon  has  a  peculiar  cry,  which  is 
heard  sometimes,  on  still  nights,  during  the  sum- 
mer. It  is  a  quavering  note  somewhat  resembling 
that  of  the  screech  owl,  but  lower  and  softer, 
and  seems  to  come  from  a  distance,  though  really 
close  by.  To  one  inexperienced  in  the  ways  of 
this  animal,  the  cry  would  not  be  recognized. 

The  fur  of  the  raccoon  meets  with  ready  sale 
at  fair  prices,  and  there  is  also  sale  for  the  flesh 
in  many  markets.  There  is  considerable  dif- 
ference in  color  in  individual  animals,  some  of 
them  being  very  dark,  and  others  quite  pale. 
Of  course  the  northern  animals  are  more  heavily 
furred  than  those  of  the  South. 

The  darker  and  larger  specimens,  as  a  rule,  are 
secured  in  the  northern  states  —  New  York, 
Pennsylvania,  Northern  Ohio,  Northern  Indiana, 
Northern  Illinois,  Michigan,  Wisconsin  and 
Minnesota.  The  greatest  numbers,  but  smaller 
and  lighter  colored,  are  secured  from  the 
southern  states,  those  bordering  on  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico,,  Tennessee,  Arkansas,  Missouri,  and 
Kentucky. 

While  raccoons  can  be  raised  in  nearly  all 
parts  of  America,  the  best  furred  specimens 


164  FUR    FARMING. 

can  only  be  raised  where  the  climate  is  produc- 
tive of  good  fur, — say  north  of  40  degrees.  This 
would  be  on  a  line  passing  through  Philadelphia, 
south  of  Pittsburg,  just  north  of  Columbus, 
through  Central  Indiana  and  Illinois,  northern 
.Missouri,  boundary  between  Kansas  and  Ne- 
braska, north  of  Denver,  and  on  to  the  Pacific 
Ocean. 

It  is  not  meant  that  coon  cannot  be  profitably 
raised  south  of  this  line  indicated,  for  they  can. 
The  chances,  however,  are  that  far  south  of  the 
line  mentioned,  the  skins  would  not  be  as  val- 
uable and  being  nearer  the  coon-producing  sec- 
tion, there  would  not  be  as  ready  a  market  for 
the  carcasses. 

The  coon  raiser  should  secure  good  dark 
males  and  females  for  breeding  purposes,  from 
northern  sections.  If  unable  to  do  this,  a  good 
male  or  two  crossed  with  the  females,  would 
help  to  produce  larger  and  darker  animals.  This 
is  important,  as  the  larger  and  darker  the  pelt, 
the  more  valuable,  and  the  larger  the  carcass  the 
more  it  brings. 

That  raccoons  do  well  in  captivity  is  well 
known  from  the  many  kept  in  zoos,  parks,  etc. 
Countless  numbers  have  been  caught  while 
young,  when  they  soon  become  tame  and  inter- 
esting pets.  Even  those  caught  when  grown, 


RACCOON   RAISING. 


165 


166  FUE   FARMING. 

soon  become  accustomed  to  their  owners  and 
keepers.  They  can  be  handled  and  become  amus- 
ing pets.  They  know  strangers  and  will  often 
put  their  paws  over  their  eyes  and  look  between 
their  toes,  thinking  perhaps,  that  the  stranger 
cannot  see  them,  while  their  paws  are  over  their 
eyes. 

Large  numbers  of  raccoons  could  be  raised 
by  fencing  in  a  piece  of  woods,  embracing  a  few 
acres,  with  a  creek  running  through.  If  the 
fence  was  considerable  distance  from  the  edge 
of  the  woods,  it  is  doubtful  if  the  animals  would 
make  much  effort  to  escape.  The  places  they 
would  be  apt  to  frequent  the  most,  would  be 
where  the  stream  entered  and  left  the  enclosure. 
At  these  places  the  fence  should  be  extra  high, 
strong  and  secure. 

The  raccoon  and  opossum  farmer  have  a 
double  advantage  where  their  "farm"  is  situated 
near  a  city.  First,  if  the  fur  farm  is  one  con- 
taining a  large  number  of  animals,  the  supplying 
of  food  will  be  quite  a  problem  and  the  city 
offers  a  means  of  plenty  and  cheap  food  for  your 
animals,  such  as  offals  from  slaughter  houses 
and  other  feed.  Second,  the  city  offers  a  market 
for  the  meat  at  "killing  time". 

While  raccoon  will  eat  decayed  meat  to  some 
extent,  it  should  be  furnished  them  fresh,  in 


EACCOON  RAISING.  167 

which  condition  it  is  much  better  for  them. 
Most  animals  will  eat  carrion,  yet  it  is  doubtful 
if  it  is  advisable  to  feed  when  in  such  condition. 
Putrid  flesh  is  unhealthy  and  some  claim,  causes 
fur-bearing  animals  to  become  affected  with 
mange. 

Raccoon  are  naturally  a  clean  animal,  and 
in  their  wild  state  are  particular  that  their  food 
is  clean.  They  seldom,  if  ever,  eat  left-over  food 
or  flesh  that  has  become  tainted. 

That  raccoon  raising  promises  well  is  borne 
out  from  the  fact  that  they  are  easily  handled, 
eat  a  variety  of  food  easily  secured,  and  their 
fur  and  meat  both  have  a  ready  cash  market. 
The  pelt  of  a  full  grown  and  dark  raccoon  is 
worth  from  $1.00  to  $2.00,  depending  upon  the 
section;  to  this  add  from  40c  to  75c  for  the 
carcass  and  it  will  be  seen  that  the  raccoon  brings 
to  its  owner  $1.40  to  $2.50  or  upwards.  This 
price  is  for  the  better  grade.  The  smaller  and 
lighter  colored  skins,  from  the  more  southerly 
sections,  will  perhaps  only  bring  two- thirds  as 
much  —  75  cents  to  $1 .50  for  the  pelts  and  25  to 
50  cents  for  the  carcass. 

At  what  other  "branch  of  farming"  is  there 
greater  profit?  No  one  is  going  to  become  im- 
mensely rich  at  coon  raising  in  a  few  years, 


168  FUR   FARMING. 

but  if  they  enter  the  business  and  give  the  same 
attention  and  care  to  it  that  they  would  to 
poultry,  sheep,  horses  and  cattle,  there  is  reason 
to  believe  that  the  profits  will  be  as  large  if  not 
larger.  Again,  the  person  who  loves  the  hand- 
ling of  fur-bearing  animals  will  be  making  his 
living  at  the  business  he  enjoys  most. 

Those  who  expect  to  raise  coons  in  a  small 


Fur  Farm  on  Open   Ground. 

enclosure,  should  have  the  wire  turned  in  several 
feet  at  the  top,  or  the  chances  are  they  will  fol- 
low along  the  under  side  to  the  edge  and  thus 
escape.  In  the  enclosure  for  raccoon,  the  strip 
of  tin  around  the  fence  some  three  or  four  feet 
high  is  strongly  recommended.  There  should  be 
some  logs,  dens,  and  low,  branchy  trees  for  the 
animals  to  play  in.  However,  there  should  be 


RACCOON  RAISING.  169 

no  trees  standing  near  the  outside  enclosure  or 
the  animals  may  climb  them  and  leap  to  the  top 
of  the  fence,  and  thus  escape.  The  more  home- 
like their  enclosure,  the  sooner  they  become 
contented.  This  means  that  they  grow  faster, 
which  is  all  to  the  financial  interest  of  the  coon 
raiser. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE  BEAVER  AND  THE  OTTER. 

CHESE    two    very    important    furbearing 
animals     were     once     quite     numerous 
throughout  practically  the  whole  of  the 
United  States  and  Canada,  but  because 
of  the  persistency  with  which  they  were  hunted, 
have  become  rare  in  many  of  the  sections  where 
they  were  once  found  in  abundance.    Especially 
is  this  true  of  the  beaver.     Almost  all  of  the 
states  in  which  beavers  are  still  found,  as  well 
as  the  various  provinces  of  Canada,  have  made 
laws  to  protect  these  animals,  but  they  are  still 
hunted  and  trapped,  and  the  day  is  not  far  dis- 
tant when  the  beaver  will  be  extinct,  unless  the 
laws  are  enforced.  Where  the  animals  are  really 
protected  they  multiply  rapidly. 

The  otter  is  a  more  wary  animal  than  the 
beaver,  and  as  a  consequence  will  linger  within 
the  bounds  of  civilization  long  after  the  beaver 
has  disappeared,  but  for  all  this  they  are  becom- 
ing very  rare  in  most  of  the  settled  sections.  As 
these  animals  both  belong  to  different  orders 
and  their  habits  are  entirely  different,  it  will  be 
necessary  to  take  up  each  separately. 
(170) 


THE  BEAVER  AND  THE  OTTER.  171 

THE  BEAVER. — As  before  mentioned,  the 
beaver  has  become  extinct  in  many  sections 
where  it  was  once  found,  and  at  present  they  are 
practically  confined  to  Canada,  Alaska,  the 
Northern  States  and  the  Western  mountain 
regions.  A  few  are  still  found  in  the  more  iso- 
lated portions  of  the  South,  but  there  they  are 
quite  rare  except  in  a  few  small  sections. 
Throughout  the  Central  and  many  of  the 
Eastern  and  Southern  States,  they  have  entirely 
disappeared.  There  is  only  one  species  of  the 
beaver,  but  there  are  several  varieties,  all  of 
wrhich  are  very  much  alike  in  appearance  and 
the  habits  of  all  are  the  same,  except  where  it  is 
changed  because  of  difference  in  food,  climate, 
etc. 

The  beaver  has  always  been  an  interesting 
animal,  not  only  to  those  directly  interested  in 
furs,  but  to  all  others,  and  practically  everybody 
knows  something  regarding  the  habits  of  the 
animal.  One  of  their  most  remarkable  habits 
is  that  of  building  dams  on  the  stream,  or  at 
the  outlet  of  the  pond  or  lake  on  which  they  are 
located.  These  dams  are  intended  to  regulate 
the  height  of  the  water.  They  will  vary  from 
two  to  five  feet  in  height,  and  from  twenty  to 
one  hundred  yards  in  length,  according  to  the 
size  of  the  stream  and  the  nature  of  the  shores. 


172  PUR   FARMING. 

The  dams  are  composed  of  sticks  and  chunks 
of  wood,  stones,  sods,  etc.  They  always  watch 
the  dam  closely  and  keep  it  in  repair,  and  each 
fall  it  is  strengthened  by  adding  new  material. 
In  addition  to  the  main  dam  there  are,  as  a  rule, 
one  or  more  smaller  dams  built  lower  down 
stream.  What  these  small  dams  are  for  is  not 
known  for  a  certainty,  but  sometimes,  when  the 
lower  dam  backs  the  water  up  to  the  large  one, 
the  beavers  will,  in  the  fall  after  the  ice  has 
formed,  dig  a  passage  through  the  upper  dam, 
which  allows  the  water  to  fall  and  leaves  an  air 
space  between  the  water  and  the  ice,  and  it  is 
perhaps  for  this  reason  that  the  smaller  dams 
are  constructed. 

Somewhere  on  the  edge  of  the  pool  where  the 
water  is  not  too  deep,  the  beavers  make  their 
lodge,  or  house.  These  houses  sometimes  rise 
eight  feet  above  the  water  and  will  measure 
fifteen  feet  in  diameter.  They  are  constructed 
of  the  same  materials  as  used  for  the  dam,  and 
are  always  repaired  and  strengthened  before 
freezing  weather  comes.  There  are  usually  two 
entrances  to  the  house  and  they  are  always 
located  deep  under  water. 

The  food  of  the  beaver  consists  principally 
of  bark  of  poplar,  birch,  willow,  cottonwood, 
alder  and  wild  cherry.  They  are  also  fond  of 


THE  BEAVER  AND  THE  OTTER.  173 

the  roots  of  the  water  lily.  In  the  South  it  is 
said  that  they  quite  often  feed  on  corn,  when 
located  near  the  farms.  They  would  doubtless 
eat  many  kinds  of  roots  and  vegetables  if  same 


A  Beaver  House. 

could  be  procured.  In  some  few  sections,  where 
the  nature  of  the  stream  is  such  that  houses  and 
dams  are  not  a  success,  the  beavers  live  in  holes 
in  the  bank  of  the  stream  and  are  called  "bank 


174  FUR   FARMING. 

beavers" ;  however,  they  are  the  same  variety  as 
the  house  building  kind. 

In  the  Northern  districts,  where  the  ponds 
are  covered  with  ice  six  months  of  the  year,  the 
beavers  spend  the  entire  winter  under  the  ice. 
For  this  long  period  of  imprisonment  they  must 
lay  up  a  large  store  of  food.  This  food  consists 
of  small,  green  saplings  and  brush,  cut  into 
suitable  lengths  and  stored  under  water,  in  front 
of  the  house.  They  eat  only  the  bark  and  the 
peeled  sticks  are  used  to  repair  the  house  and 
dam.  The  young  beavers  are  born  in  April  and 
May  as  a  rule,  but  there  are  frequent  excep- 
tions. There  are  usuaUy  only  two  at  a  birth, 
but  sometimes  there  will  be  three.  These  young 
animals  remain  two  years  with  the  parents,  so 
that  a  full  family  will  consist  of  the  two  old 
ones,  two  or  three  medium  size  and  two  or  three 
small  beavers.  However,  there  are  "bachelor 
beavers",  old  males  which  always  live  alone,  and 
have  a  small  house  somewhere  along  the  shore 
of  a  stream  or  pond. 

It  was  the  beaver  that  was  most  sought  by 
the  early  trappers,  for  the  fur  was  more  in  de- 
mand than  the  fur  of  any  other  animal.  At 
present  it  is  not  as  popular  as  in  days  of  old, 
but  we  do  not  believe  that  its  value  will  de- 
crease, as  the  catch  becomes  lighter  each  sue- 


THE  BBAVEE  AND  THE  OTTER.  175 

ceeding  year.  The  skins  do  not  become  prime 
as  early  as  those  of  some  other  animals,  but  are 
in  good  condition  in  advance  of  the  muskrat. 
The  fur  of  the  beaver,  otter,  muskrat  and  bear 
remains  in  good  condition  until  late  in  the 
spring. 

During  the  summer  months  many  of  the 
beavers  travel  about  on  the  streams  and  if  a 
house  is  found  at  this  time  it  may  be  deserted, 
or  at  the  best,  only  one  or  two  animals  will  be 
found  there.  As  fall  approaches,  they  all  re- 
turn to  the  lodge  and  from  that  time  until  the 
water  is  frozen  they  will  be  hard  at  work  laying 
up  the  winter's  store  of  food. 

THE  OTTER. — The  otter  is  occasionally  met 
with  in  almost  all  parts  of  North  America,  in 
some  places  fairly  plentiful,  in  others  very  rare, 
but  they  are  found  in  greatest  numbers  in  the 
swamps  of  some  of  the  Southern  States,  and  in 
the  wilder  portions  of  Canada,  Alaska  and  New- 
foundland. There  are  two  species,  the  common 
otter  and  the  sea  otter,  which  latter  is  only 
found  in  the  North  Pacific  and  is  now  quite  rare. 
Of  the  common  otter  there  are  some  three  or 
four  varieties,  differing  only  in  size  and  color. 
The  habits  of  the  otter  are  very  little  known  by 
the  average  man,  and  many  of  the  trappers  know 
little  about  this  animal.  They  are  rambling 


176  FUR   FARMING. 

animals,  traveling  the  streams  and  lakes  for 
great  distances.  They  will  travel  sometimes  ten 
or  fifteen  miles  to  visit  some  certain  lake  and 
perhaps  will  only  stay  there  over  night.  Again, 
if  undisturbed,  they  may  remain  for  a  month 
or  more  on  some  small  pond. 

They  are  on  very  friendly  terms  with  the 
beaver  and  will  frequently  spend  several  weeks  or 
months  with  a  beaver  family,  apparently  living 
in  the  same  house.  If  an  otter  knows  the  loca- 
tion of  two  or  more  families  of  beavers,  it  will 
spend  practically  all  of  its  time  with  one  or 
other  of  the  beaver  families,  or  may  make 
frequent  visits  from  one  to  the  other. 

It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  the  muskrat  in- 
habits the  same  waters  with  the  beaver  and  ap- 
parently sometimes  makes  its  home  in  the 
beavers'  lodge,  undisturbed  by  its  larger  rela- 
tives. The  otter  is  an  enemy  of  the  muskrat, 
however. 

The  otter  is  an  exceedingly  active  animal 
and  is  so  much  at  home  in  the  water  that  it  is 
able  to  catch  fish  with  ease,  and  they  are  its 
principal  food.  Where  fish  are  plentiful,  they 
will  kill  them  merely  for  pleasure,  and  what 
they  can  not  eat,  they  will  store  up  in  some  little 
bay  or  inlet  along  the  shore.  These,  however, 
are  not  placed  there  for  future  use,  as  the  otter 


THE  BEAVER  AND  THE  OTTER.  177 

will  only  eat  food  that  is  strictly  fresh.  Besides 
fish,  they  also  eat  large  numbers  of  frogs,  which 
are  easily  secured.  They  also  eat  muskrats  and 
sometimes  surprise  these  animals  by  coming  up 
into  the  houses  from  below,  thus  preventing  the 
inmates  from  escaping. 

The  otter  does  not  travel  much  on  land,  ex- 
cept when  crossing  country  from  one  lake  or 
stream  to  another.  Their  bodies  being  long  and 
their  legs  short,  walking  is,  for  them,  rather 
difficult  and  their  mode  of  locomotion  is  a  series 
of  plunging  leaps.  On  the  snow  or  ice  they  move 
along  rapidly  by  throwing  themselves  forward, 
sliding  on  their  bellies.  They  are  very  playful 
animals  and  sometimes  amuse  themselves  by 
sliding  down  a  slippery  bank.  They  also  have 
landing  places  where  they  go  to  roll  in  the  leaves 
and  grass.  In  the  spring  they  often  lie  for  hours 
on  some  old  log  by  the  side  of  the  stream,  bask- 
ing in  the  warm  sun.  They  can  remain  a  long 
time  under  water,  and  in  winter  travel  long 
distances  under  the  ice, — in  fact,  they  prefer  to 
travel  this  way  whenever  possible. 

The  home  of  the  otter  is  a  burrow  in  the  bank 
of  a  stream,  the  entrance  under  water.  At  the 
end  of  the  burrow  is  a  nest  lined  with  leaves 
and  grass.  They  also,  sometimes,  den  in  hollow 

12 


178 


FUR   FARMING. 


logs  and  the  trunks  of  hollow  trees.  The  dens 
are  always  located  in  the  most  secluded  places, 
as  far  as  possible  removed  from  danger  of  dis- 


The  Work  of  Beavers. 

covery.     The  young  are  born  in  April  or  May 
and  the  number  is  from  two  to  four. 

With  regard  to  raising  the  beaver  and  otter 


THE  BEAVER  AND  THE  OTTER.  179 

for  profit,  we  will  say  that  there  has  been  com- 
paratively few  attempts  at  the  business  and  we 
are  unable  to  get  any  authentic  data  with  regard 
to  these  experiments.  However,  the  animals  do 
well  in  captivity,  in  zoos,  and  when  kept  by 
private  individuals,  as  pets,  and  it  is  our  opinion 
that  if  one  will  but  go  slowly  and  learn  the 
habits  and  nature  of  the  animals,  a  fair  degree 
of  success  may  be  attained.  It  should  be  under- 
stood that  conditions  must  be  favorable  and  the 
animals  should  be  given  a  range  as  nearly  like 
their  natural  home  as  possible.  Of  course,  one 
could  not  make  a  success  of  raising  beavers  in 
an  open  field.  They  must  have  wooded  land 
where  their  natural  food,  quaking  aspen  (some- 
times called  poplar),  birch,  willow,  cottonwood, 
and  alder,  is  plentiful.  A  pool  on  some  quiet  lit- 
tle stream,  bordered  by  a  large  tract  of  forest., 
would  be  -the  proper  place.  Beavers  are  not 
given  to  roaming,  except  during  the  summer 
months,  and  in  such  cases  they  always  return  to 
their  home  before  cold  weather  comes. 

We  believe  that  the  animals  could  not  be 
raised  successfully  by  any  of  the  plans  recom- 
mended for  the  rearing  of  other  furbearing 
animals,  but  should  simply  be  placed  in  a  large 
enclosure,  in  the  proper  location,  and  allowed 
to  take  care  of  themselves.  The  animals  will 


180  FUR   FARMING. 

breed  perfectly  without  any  attention  and  there 
will  be  no  danger  of  them  killing  their  offspring, 
as  is  the  case  with  other  furbearers.  There  is 
no  doubt  that  the  beaver  and  the  otter  will  do 
well  in  the  same  enclosure,  for  in  the  wild  state 
they  are  very  sociable  and  are  fond  of  one 
another's  company. 

If  otters  are  kept  in  an  enclosed  pond,  it 
wili  be  necessary  to  keep  them  supplied  with 
food,  and  perhaps  the  best  way  would  be  to  keep 
the  ponds  stocked  with  live  fish  and  frogs.  With 
the  beaver  the  matter  of  providing  food  is  more 
simple,  as  it  will  only  be  necessary  to  make  the 
enclosure  where  their  natural  food  is  found  in 
abundance. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

KILLING,,  SKINNING  AND  STRETCHING. 

HEN  "killing  time"  comes,  care  should 
be  taken  to  not  frighten  the  animals 
left  f°r  breeding  purposes  more  than 
is  absolutely  necessary.  All  animals 
that  are  tame  enough  should  be  driven  into  a 
separate  enclosure  and  out  of  sight  of  the  others 
before  being  killed.  Perhaps  as  good  a  method 
of  killing  as  any  is  to  use  a  good  club,  striking  on 
the  head  just  over  the  eyes  or  ears. 

The  above  method  is  not  for  skunk,  as  they 
should  be  killed  without  the  enclosure  becoming 
so  strongly  scented.  A  pole  several  feet  long 
with  a  strong  loop  on  the  end  can  be  slipped 
over  their  head  and  well  back  on  the  neck.  The 
animal  can  now  be  lifted  clear  off  the  ground 
and  carried  wherever  the  killing  is  desired.  If 
the  killer  does  not  mind  a  little  perfume  he 
knocks  them  on  the  head,  or  if  a  barrel  of  water 
is  handy  they  can  be  drowned  and  few  scent. 
The  drowning,  however,  is  not  recommended,  as 
it  takes  the  fur  hours  to  dry  and  is  therefore 
extra  work.  Some  even  claim  that  the  water 
spoils  the  luster  of  the  fur  to  a  certain  extent. 
(181) 


182  FUR  FARMING. 

Some  animals,  such  as  coon  and  skunk,  do 
not  leave  their  dens  during  severe  weather,  so 
that  it  is  advisable  to  begin  selecting  those  that 
are  to  be  killed  days  and  even  weeks  in  advance 
of  the  time  decided  upon.  These  should  be  placed 
in  an  enclosure  or  pen  by  themselves  so  that  the 
remaining  ones  will  not  be  disturbed. 

Even  those  animals  that  come  out  to  their 
feed  regularly  during  the  cold  days  should  be 
handled  in  a  similar  manner  so  as  not  to  disturb 
those  to  be  kept. 

The  animals  that  are  to  be  kept  for  breeding 
purposes  need  not  be  fed  so  heavily  during  the 
winter  months  or  after  those  that  were  intended 
for  market  have  been  killed.  Of  course  in  the 
spring  after  the  females  have  young,  they  must 
be  fed  heavily. 

Some  raisers,  as  soon  as  the  young  are 
weaned,  select  those  that  are  to  be  killed  the 
coming  winter,  keeping  them  separate  from  the 
breeding  stock  so  that  they  can  be  fed  properly. 
That  is  a  great  saving  of  food,  as  those  for  mar- 
ket should  be  fed  much  more  than  the  breeders 
at  this  season  —  say  during  the  months  of  Sep- 
tember, October  and  November. 

There  are  two  distinct  methods  of  skinning 
furbearing  animals,  and  skins  are  known  as 
"cased"  or  "open"  skins,  according  to  the 


KILLING,    SKINNING  AND  STRETCHING.     183 

method  of  removing  the  pelt.  Open  skins  are 
those  removed  by  ripping  the  skin  down  the 
belly  and  are  stretched  out  flat.  Cased  skins 
are  those  drawn  off  the  body  from  the  tail  to 
the  head,  by  ripping  the  skin  on  the  backs  of 
the  hind  legs. 

The  skins  which  should  be  cased  are  those 
of  the  weasel,  or  ermine,  the  mink,  marfen, 
muskrat,  opossum,  skunk,  fisher,  fox,  otter, 
lynx,  civet  cat,  ringtail  cat,  and  house  cat.  The 
bear,  beaver,  wolverine,  wolf,  badger,  and 
mountain  lion  should  be  skinned  open.  The 
coyote,  the  wildcat,  and  the  raccoon,  may  be 
skinned  open  or  cased,  but  are  usually  skinned 
open.  To  make  it  perfectly  clear  to  the  novice, 
I  will  explain  in  detail  just  how  each  animal 
should  be  skinned. 

Mink — If  the  fur  is  wet,  shake  it,  and  stroke 
out  as  much  of  the  water  as  possible,  before 
skinning,  then  with  your  jackknife,  cut  off  the 
front  feet  at  the  first  joint  above  the  toes.  Cut 
the  skin  loose  all  around  the  hind  legs  just 
above  the  feet  and  split  the  skin  down  the 
back  of  the  hind  legs  to  and  around  the  vent. 
Now  peel  the  skin  off  the  hind  legs,  using  the 
knife  only  to  cut  the  small  ligaments  near  the 
feet.  Loosen  the  skin  across  the  hips  and 
around  the  base  of  the  tail.  Now  take  a  green 


184  FUB  FARMING. 

stick,  about  as  thick  as  your  finger,  and  ten 
inches  long.  Split  it  half  its  length  and  slip  it 
over  the  tailbone.  Grasp  the  stick  with  your 
right  hand,  palm  up,  and  with  the  tail  between 
the  second  and  third  fingers,  tail  pointing  up; 
hold  the  carcass  by  placing  the  left  hand  on  the 
hind  quarters;  close  your  right  hand  and  give 
a  steady  pull  upwards  and  the  skin  will  be 
stripped  from  the  tail  quickly  and  easily.  Now 
draw  the  skin  downward,  off  the  body,  to  the 
shoulders.  Here  two  thin  muscles  will  insist 
on  hanging  fast  to  the  skin;  put  your  finger 
under  them  and  tear  them  loose.  You  can  now 
get  hold  of  the  front  legs,  and  strip  the  skin 
from  them.  Strip  the  skin  on  down  to  the  head, 
then  feel  for  the  base  of  the  ears  and  cut  them 
off  close  to  the  head.  Skin  on  to  the  eyes ;  here 
you  must  use  the  knife  again,  but  use  care  not 
to  enlarge  the  eye  aperture.  Cut  the  skin  loose 
about  the  mouth  and  the  end  of  the  nose,  but 
don't  cut  the  nose  off  the  skin.  The  pelt  now  re- 
sembles a  small,  narrow  sack,  with  fur  side  in. 
Before  you  lay  it  down,  turn  it  with  the  fur  side 
out  and  thus  keep  the  skin  clean  until  you  are 
ready  to  flesh  and  stretch  it. 

Marten,   Fisher,   Eingtail,   Fox,   Lynx,   and 
Weasel. — Handle  in  the  same  general  way  as  the 


KILLING,    SKINNING   AND   STRETCHING.      185 

mink.  Be  careful  in  skinning  weasels  so  that 
neither  the  skin  nor  the  fur  get  soiled. 

Muskrats. — The  simplest  way  is  to  split 
down  the  back  of  the  hind  legs  to  the  vent,  then 
skin  the  hind  legs  and  across  the  hips;  pinch 
up  the  skin  and  cut  it  loose  at  the  base  of  the 
tail  and  draw  it  from  the  body  in  the  same  way 
as  when  skinning  the  mink,  using  care  not  to 
tear  the  flesh.  It  is  not  necessary  to  cut  off  the 
front  feet,  as  the  skin  may  be  pulled  off  easily 
without  cutting.  Don't  attempt  to  skin  the  tail 
and  don't  leave  the  tail  on  the  skin.  Don't  tear 
the  skin  off  the  nose  as  some  do. 

Opossum. — Cut  off  the  front  feet  and  skin 
the  same  as  the  muskrat.  A  thin  layer  of  fat 
clings  to  the  skin  and  is,  seemingly,  a  part  of  it, 
but  it  can  be  removed  by  fleshing  afterwards. 
Leave  the  tail  on  the  carcass. 

Skunk.— Cut  off  the  front  feet  with  a  knife 
or  hatchet.,  cut  around  the  hind  feet  and  rip 
down  the  back  of  the  hind  legs,  using  care  when 
cutting  and  skinning  around  the  scent  glands. 
Split  the  tail  about  one-third  of  its  length  on 
the  under  side,  and  skin  it  that  far  by  using  the 
knife;  then  strip  it  from  the  bone  by  means  of 
a  split  stick ;  proceed  the  same  as  when  skinning 
the  mink. 

Otter. — The  otter  is  one  of  the  most  difficult 


186  FUR   FARMING. 

animals  to  skin.  While  the  skin  may  be  peeled 
off  in  much  the  same  way  as  that  of  the  mink, 
it  is  so  difficult  to  flesh  afterwards,  that  I  ad- 
vise working  slowly  and  skinning  clean  as  you 
go.  Cut  off  the  front  feet  or  cut  the  skin  loose 
around  them  as  preferred,  then  cut  around  the 
hind  feet  and  split  the  skin  on  the  back  of  the 
hind  legs  to  the  vent.  Eip  the  skin  on  the  under 
side  of  the  tail  to  the  tip.  Commence  at  the 
hind  legs  and  carefully  peel  the  skin  from  the 
flesh,  using  the  knife  carefully  and  not  leaving 
a  particle  of  flesh  or  fat  on  the  skin.  The  body 
and  tail,  in  fact  the  entire  animal,  must  be 
skinned  in  this  way.  It  is  tedious  work,  but 
when  you  have  finished  the  skin  is  ready  for  the 
stretching  board. 

Coyote,  Wildcat,  Badger,  and  Raccoon. — 
The  coyote,  raccoon  and  wildcat  may  be  skinned 
in  the  same  way  as  the  fox  and  mink,  or  they 
may  be  skinned  open.  Kaccoon  are  usually 
skinned  open.  Kip  the  skin  straight  down  the 
belly  from  the  point  of  the  chin  to  the  base  of 
the  tail;  around  the  hind  feet  and  down  the 
back  of  the  hind  legs;  around  the  front  legs  just 
above  the  feet  and  down  the  back  of  the  legs  to 
the  body,  then  forward  to  the  point  of  the  bris- 
ket. Now  peel  the  skin  off,  using  the  knife 
where  needed.  Skin  the  tail  with  a  split  stick. 


KILLING,    SKINNING    AND   STRETCHING.      187 

Considerable  force  will  sometimes  be  required 
in  skinning  the  tail.  Unless  you  use  care,  the 
fat  will  cling  to  the  skin  badly,  but  it  may  be 
fleshed  after  skinning.  Wildcats  and  coyotes 
are  skinned  the  same  way,  but  are  not  fat,  there- 
fore, are  easier  to  handle.  The  badger  should 
always  be  skinned  open. 

Beaver. — For  the  novice  the  beaver  is  a  dif- 
ficult one,  but  once  you  have  skinned  a  few,  it 
is  much  easier.  The  skin  is  ripped  open  down 
the  belly  from  the  point  of  the  lower  jaw  to  the 
base  of  the  tail;  around  the  tail  (the  tail  has 
no  fur  and  is  not  skinned),  and  around  the  legs 
just  above  the  feet.  The  skin  of  the  legs  is  not 
split  open.  A  sharp  knife  must  be  used  and  the 
skin  must  be  removed  perfectly  clean;  no  flesh 
or  fat  should  be  left  on  it,  for  it  is  very  difficult 
to  remove  afterwards. 

The  skin  of  any  animal  should  be  fleshed 
and  stretched  as  soon  as  possible  after  it  is  re- 
moved from  the  carcass.  If  the  weather  is 
somewhat  warm  and  the  skin  remains  uncleaned 
and  unstretched  a  day  or  two,  it  may  start  to 
taint. 

T  have  tried  all  of  the  various  devices  for 
fleshing  skins  that  I  have  ever  heard  of  and 
have  settled  on  three  instruments  as  being  the 
most  practical,  namely,  the  lath  hatchet,  the 


188  FUR   FARMING. 

table  knife,  and  the  hunting  knife.  The  table 
knife  is  the  best  thing  I  have  found  for  clean- 
ing small  skins,  such  as  inink,  marten,  and 
muskrats;  the  hatchet  is  an  ideal  tool  for  larger 
animals  such  as  otter,  and  fisher,  if  they  have 
not  been  skinned  clean;  also  for  skunk  and 
cased  raccoon.  All  open  skins  which  have  not 
been  removed  clean  of  fat  and  flesh,  as  well  as 
skins  having  little  flesh  and  fat  on  them,  such 
as  fox,  and  lynx,  I  flesh  with  the  hunting  knife, 
after  they  are  stretched,  pinching  up  the  bits 
of  flesh  and  fat  with  my  fingers  and  peeling 
them  off  with  the  knife.  This  fleshing  after  the 
skin  is  stretched  will  sometimes  necessitate  re- 
stretching  to  some  extent,  but  after  the  skin  is 
once  stretched,  it  is  not  much  trouble  to  tighten 
it  again. 

For  fleshing  cased  skins  I  use  two  boards, 
one  about  three  inches  wide  and  three  feet  long 
for  small  skins,  and  the  other  five  inches  wide 
and  four  feet  long  for  larger  ones.  These  flesh- 
ing boards  must  be  perfectly  smooth  and  flat. 
They  should  not  be  beveled  towards  the  edge 
like  a  stretching  board,  but  should  have  the 
edges  slightly  rounded. 

Before  fleshing  a  cased  skin  be  sure  that 
there  are  no  burrs  or  other  foreign  substances 
in  the  fur,  for  such  would  cause  you  to  cut  the 


KILLING,  SKINNING  AND  STRETCHING. 

skin,  then  draw  the  pelt  on  the  board,  fur  side 
in.  Now  with  the  base  of  the  board  resting  on 
the  floor  and  the  nose  against  your  chest,  shove 
the  fat  and  flesh  from  the  skin  with  the  knife 
or  hatchet,  from  the  head  to  the  tail.  The  in- 
strument should  be  held  at  an  angle  of  about  40 
degrees.  Don't  try  to  flesh  on  the  edge  of  the 
board  or  you  will  injure  the  skin.  Turn  the 
skin  occasionally  until  you  are  all  the  way 
around  and  the  pelt  is  perfectly  clean  of  flesh 
and  fat.  The  thin  sheet  of  muscle  found  on  the 
back  of  the  muskrat  should  not  be  removed,  but 
the  loose  rolls  behind  the  shoulders  should  be 
removed  down  to  a  point  wrhere  it  appears  to 
be  firmly  attached  to  the  skin.  Don't  scrape 
away  at  a  skin  of  any  kind  until  nothing  re- 
mains but  the  scarf  skin  and  the  fur.  There  is 
such  a  thing  as  overdoing  it,  and  one  should 
remember  that  he  is  only  to  remove  the  loose 
parts,  which  are  not  a  part  of  the  skin.  Skunk, 
opossum,  and  muskrats  are  the  skins  which  are 
the  most  likely  to  be  overdone,  and  the  skunk 
in  particular. 

After  the  skins  are  fleshed  they  are  ready  for 
stretching.  I  advise  the  use  of  the  three-piece 
board  for  all  cased  skins  except  weasel  and 
muskrat,  for  which  the  plain  board  is  prefer- 
able. 


190  FUR   FARMING. 

To  use  the  three-piece  board,  turn  the  skin 
with  the  flesh  side  out  and  insert  the  two  main 
pieces  of  the  board,  the  flat  edges  together ;  draw 
the  skin  down  to  its  full  extent  and  fasten  the 
hind  legs  with  two  nails  to  each.  Be  sure  that 
the  skin  is  on  the  board  squarely,  the  back  on 
one  side,  and  the  belly  on  the  other,  then  insert 
the  wedge  between  the  two  pieces  of  the  board. 
Put  the  wedge  in  firmly,  but  don't  drive  it  in 
with  a  hammer,  for  there  is  such  a  thing  as  over- 
stretching a  skin.  Then  draw  the  back  down 
and  fasten  it  with  two  nails  near  the  root  of  the 
tail.  Then  turn  the  board  over,  and  stretch  the 
other  side,  fastening  it  also  with  two  nails.  Now 
fasten  all  the  edges  by  placing  the  nails  1£ 
or  2  inches  apart,  keeping  the  legs  one-half  on 
each  side  of  the  board.  See  that  the  nose  of 
the  skin  does  not  slip  over  the  end  of  the  board 
and  fasten  the  skin  of  the  lower  jaw  with  two 
nails.  The  tail  of  the  skunk  must  be  stretched 
out  flat  as  far  as  it  is  split.  That  of  the  otter 
must  be  fastened  with  nails  placed  about  1£ 
inches  apart  its  entire  length.  Now  take  your 
jackknife  and  make  a  little  incision  in  the  tip 
of  the  tail  of  all  animals  except  the  otter.  This 
is  to  allow  the  air  to  circulate  and  let  the 
moisture  drain  out.  If  the  weather  is  very 
warm,  put  a  little  salt  in  the  tail  to  keep  it  from 


KILLING,  SKINNING  AND  STRETCHING.       191 

tainting.  The  loss  of  the  tail  will  detract 
heavily  from  the  value  of  the  skin,  and  in  case 
the  bone  has  broken  off,  as  happens  sometimes, 
the  tail  should  be  opened  on  the  under  side  and 
the  bone  removed.  After  the  tail  is  attended  to., 
loop  a  string  around  the  nails  in  the  lower 
jaw  and  hang  the  pelt  in  a  cool,  dry,  airy  place 
to  cure.  Be  sure  that  it  swings  free,  and  does 
not  rest  against  the  other  skins. 

The  front  legs  of  most  cased  skins  needs  no 
attention,  but  when  stretching  lynx,  I  would 
slip  two  weasel  boards  in  the  front  legs  to  keep 
them  from  drawing  up  and  taking  an  unsightly 
appearance. 

The  only  skin  which  needs  to  be  turned  fur 
side  out  after  curing  is  that  of  the  fox,  and  they 
are  easily  turned,  if  not  let  get  too  dry.  The 
front  legs  are  the  only  parts,  which  are  likely 
to  cause  trouble,  and  I  get  around  it  in  this 
way:  When  I  stretch  the  skin  on  the  board,  I 
turn  the  front  legs  fur  side  out,  and  leave  them 
inside  of  the  skin.  The  skin  dries  rapidly,  a  day 
sufficing,  and  rendering  it  ready  for  turning 
and  the  legs  have  not  got  time  to  spoil.  After 
the  skin  is  turned,  the  legs  dry  in  a  short  time. 
Some  trappers  turn  marten  skins  fur  side  out, 
and  if  you  do  this  the  above  method  will  render 
it  easy.  Lynx  are  also  turned  sometimes. 


KILLING,,  SKINNING  AND  STBETCHING.       193 

The  muskrat  should  be  stretched  on  a  plain 
board.  Don't  use  too  large  a  board  or  the  skin 
will  be  too  short  in  proportion  to  its  length. 

If  you  use  plain  boards  for  other  animals  1 
advise  the  use  of  two  wedge-shaped  strips,  one 
to  be  inserted  on  the  back  and  one  on  the  under 
side  of  the  skin.  These  will  stretch  the  skin 
more  thoroughly  and  allow  the  air  to  get  at  the 
fur  side  also. 

For  very  large  skins  such  an  arrangement 
is  more  easily  handled,  than  the  ordinary  three- 
piece  board,  for  the  pieces  of  the  board  are 
likely  to  turn  over  when  the  skin  is  nearly 
stretched.  But  the  three-piece  board  gives  a 
nicer  appearance  to  the  pelt,  and  because  of  that 
I  studied  out  a  plan  for  a  three-piece  board 
which  will  not  turn.  I  found  it  very  satisfac- 
tory and  recommend  its  use  for  stretching  such 
skins  as  fox,  otter,,  and  lynx.  To  the  base  of  one 
of  the  side  pieces,  I  fastened  two  short  strips 
at  right  angles,  and  the  other  half  of  the  board 
and  the  wedge  slide  between  these  strips,  leav- 
ing no  chance  for  the  pieces  to  turn  over  when 
stretching  the  skin. 

I  have  found  that  the  brass-head  uphols- 
terers' nails,  about  five-eighths  inch  long,  are  the 
best  nails  for  small  furs,  as  they  can  be  set  and 

13 


194  FUR   FARMING. 

withdrawn  by  hand.  For  larger  skins  small 
round  nails  are  good. 

The  best  way  I  have  ever  found  to  stretch 
open  skins  is  to  lace  them  with  twine  to  the  in- 
side of  a  hoop  or  frame  of  saplings.  For  this 
work  I  use  a  sacking  needle,  and  I  find  it  a  very 
satisfactory  way  of  stretching  open  skins. 

The  raccoon  I  stretch  in  a  hoop,  making  it 
as  nearly  square  as  possible.  In  stretching,  use 
four  long  strings,  one  for  each  side,  and  tie  the 
ends  separately.  In  this  way  you  can  easily 
draw  up  a  slack  part  or  release  an  over- 
stretched part  of  the  skin.  Be  sure  to  open  the 
tip  of  the  tail.  Stretched  in  a  hoop  the  air  gets 
at  both  sides  of  the  skin  and  it  cures  more 
rapidly  than  when  nailed  to  a  wall. 

The  beaver  should  be  stretched  nearly  round, 
or  rather  of  an  elliptical  shape,  a  nicely 
stretched  skin  measuring  about  three  or  four 
inches  more  in  length  than  in  width.  It  should 
be  stretched  in  a  hoop  by  means  of  twine  and 
the  sacking  needle.  The  string  should  be  in 
sections,  each  piece  tied  separately  to  the  hoop. 
In  this  way  it  can  be  drawn  to  a  nice  shape.  Dry 
beaver  skins  slowly,  or  they  will  burn. 

The  proper  size  and  shape  of  stretching 
board  is  what  seems  to  puzzle  the  amateur. 
With  this  in  mind,  I  think  it  wise  to  give  draw- 


KILLING,  SKINNING  AND  STRETCHING.        195 

ings  of  the  various  boards  and  the  proper  sizes 
for  large,,  medium,  and  small  skins.  Each  trap- 
per, who  has  given  it  any  thought,  has  his  own 
ideas,  regarding  the  proper  shape  of  boards,  but 
it  has  always  seemed  to  me  that  the  right  shape 
is  the  one  which  stretches  the  skin  perfectly  in 
all  parts  without  drawing  it  out  of  proportion 
anywhere.  The  shapes  shown  are  of  that  kind, 
and  if  my  directions  are  followed  carefully, 
your  furs  will  never  be  graded  down  because  of 
improper  handling.  Clean,  prime,  nicely  shaped 
skins  appeal  to  the  buyer,  and  he  is  more  in- 
clined to  be  liberal  in  his  grading.  I  am  sure 
that  the  average  person  can  get  anywhere  from 
10  to  25  per  cent,  more  for  his  furs,  if  they  are 
nicely  handled,  and  properly  cured. 

The  patterns  shown  here  are  for  plain 
boards  to  be  used  with  the  wedge-shaped  keys, 
but  I  strongly  advise  ripping  each  board,  except 
those  for  weasels  and  muskrats,  down  the  center 
with  a  saw,  and  using  a  wedge  in  the  middle. 
The  large  ones  may  be  as  before  described,  with 
two  short  strips  nailed  to  one  piece  to  keep  the 
several  -parts  in  shape.  The  following  sizes 
will  be  found  about  right : 

Weasel. — Length,  16  inches;  width  across 
shoulder,  4£  inches  from  nose,  large  2  inches, 
medium  1  1316  inches,  small  If  inches;  width 


196  FUE   FARMING. 

at  base,  large  2-|  inches,  medium  2  5-16  inches, 
small  2-J  inches;  to  be  made  %  inch  thick  in  the 
middle  and  beveled  to  -J  inch  on  the  edges. 
Edges  on  all  boards  to  be  rounded  and  very 
smooth;  soft  wood  to  be  used. 

Mink. — The  mink  found  in  the  valley  of  the 
Mississippi  and  its  tributaries,  Texas  and  other 
parts  of  the  South,  also  in  the  prairie  regions  of 
Canada,  are  much  larger  than  those  of  the 
eastern  parts  of  the  United  States  and  Canada 
and  the  Western  States.  The  proper  sizes  for 
these  larger  mink  are  as  follows:  Length,  30 
inches  width,  9  inches  from  nose,  large  4  inches, 
medium  3f  inches,  small  3f  inches;  width  at 
base,  large  4f  inches,  medium  4f  inches,  small 
4  inches.  The  eastern  mink  will  be  as  follows : 
Length,  30  inches;  large,  same  size  as  small 
western;  width  of  medium  9  inches  from  nose 
3^  inches,  small  2£  inches;  width  at  base, 
medium  3f  inches,  small  3^  inches.  Soft  wood 
should  be  used  and  the  board  should  be  f  of  | 
inch  in  thickness  at  the  center,  beveled  to  |  inch 
at  the  edges. 

Marten. — Make  the  boards  28  inches  long 
and  the  same  size.s  and  shape  as  the  Western 
mink. 

Muskrat. — Use  plain  ^  inch  boards  22  inches 
long.  Western  and  Northwestern  muskrats  are 


KILLING,,  SKINNING  AND  STRETCHING.       197 

much  smaller  than  those  of  other  sections.  For 
the  larger  kind  the  boards  should  be  as  follows : 
Width  at  shoulders,  7^  inches  from  nose,  large 
6i  inches,  medium  5|  inches,  small  5£  inches; 
width  at  base,  large  7  inches,  medium  6^  inches, 
small  5|  inches.  For  Western  United  States, 
and  Canada,  large  will  be  the  same  as  Eastern 
small;  medium,  at  shoulder  4f  inches,  small  4g 
inches;  at  base,  medium  5f  inches,  small  5^ 
inches.  The  boards  need  not  be  beveled  but  the 
edges  should  be  nicely  rounded  and  very 
smooth.  Shingles  make  very  nice  muskrat 
boards,  as  they  taper  in  thickness  and  the  skins 
are  easily  removed. 

Skunk. — These  animals  also  vary  in  size, 
those  of  the  West  and  Middle  West  being  con- 
siderably larger  than  those  of  the  East.  For  the 
Western  skin,  boards  of  the  following  sizes  will 
be  about  right:  Length,  30  inches;  width  at 
shoulder,  8^  inches  from  nose,  large  6£  inches, 
medium  5f  inches,  small  5  inches;  width  at 
base,  large  8  inches,  medium  7£  inches,  small  6f 
inches.  Eastern  large  will  be  the  same  as 
Western  medium;  medium  same  as  Western 
small;  small  Eastern  will  measure  at  shoulders, 
8^  inches  from  nose,  4f  inches,  at  base  Gf  inches. 
The  boards  should  measure  f  inch  in  thickness 


KILLING,  SKINNING  AND  STRETCHING.       199 

at  the  center  and  bevel  to  about  3-16  inch  on  the 
edge. 

Opossum. — The  boards  for  these  animals 
should  be  the  same  size  and  shape  as  those  for 
Eastern  skunk. 

Raccoon. — Northern  raccoon  run  somewhat 
larger  than  Southern;  the  sizes  of  boards  for 
cased  skins  will  be  about  as  follows:  Length 
32  inches;  width  at  shoulder,  8  inches  from 
nose,  large  8£  inches,  medium  7f  inches,  small 
6f  inches;  width  at  base,  large  10!  inches, 
medium  9|  inches,  small  8f  inches.  The  three- 
piece  board  should  be  made  of  f  or  f-inch  ma- 
terial. If  the  cross  strips  are  put  on  end  of 
board,  it  should  be  an  inch  or  two  longer  and 
may  be  of  f-inch  stuff.  Bevel  it  to  about  £  inch 
on  the  edges. 

Fox. — The  board  for  the  fox  should  be  about 
45  inches  in  length ;  the  width  as  follows :  Width 
at  shoulders,  12  inches  from  nose,  large  (> 
inches,  medium  5f  inches,  small  5i  inches; 
width  at  base,  large  7f  inchesr  medium  7] 
inches,  small  6f  inches.  The  boards  should  be 
made  of  £  or  f-inch  material  and  should  have 
the  cross  strips  on  the  end.  In  making  boards 
for  this  animal,  as  well  as  for  all  others,  use 
soft  wood  so  that  the  nails  may  be  driven  easily. 

Otter. — As  before  mentioned,  the  tail  of  the 


200  PUR   FARMING. 

otter  must  be  stretched  out  and  tacked  fast  to 
the  board  and  for  a  large  otter  a  board  of  5  ft.  4 
in.  will  be  needed.  The  widths  at  the  shoulders, 
12  inches  from  the  nose,  will  be,  large  6i  inches, 
medium  5|  inches,  small  5|  inches;  width  at 
base:  large  8^  inches,  medium  7f  inches,  small 
7|  inches.  The  boards  should  be  made  of  f- 
inch  material,  beveled  to  3-16-inch  on  the  edges, 
and  should  have  cross  strips  to  keep  the  pieces 
from  turning. 

When  using  the  three-piece  boards  only  two 
sizes,  the  large  and  the  small,  are  needed  for 
stretching  the  skins  of  any  animal.  To  stretch 
a  medium  sized  skin  use  the  small  board  with 
the  wedge  from  the  large  one.  Occasionally  one 
will  find  a  giant  of  an  animal  which  cannot  be 
stretched  well  on  the  large  board.  In  such 
cases,  make  a  wrider  wedge  and  use  the  two  main 
pieces  of  the  large  board. 

In  using  the  three-piece  boards,  never  drive 
the  wedge  in  its  entire  length  or  it  will  be  dif- 
ficult to  remove.  If  it  sticks  tight  when  you 
want  to  remove  it,  grasp  the  end  of  the  wedge, 
and  holding  it  clear  of  the  floor,  nose  down,  tap 
the  side  boards  on  the  base  with  a  hammer  or 
other  object.  This  will  loosen  the  wedge  so  that 
it  may  be  withdrawn  easily. 

A  few  remarks  about  packing  furs  for  ship- 


KILLING,  SKINNING  AND  STRETCHING.       201 

ment  may  not  come  amiss.  Never  ship  furs 
until  they  are  perfectly  dry  for  they  may  taint 
in  shipping.  It  is  not  necessary,  however,  for 
the  tails  to  be  perfectly  dry.  Make  the  skins  up 
into  a  nice,  neat  package  and  sew  it  in  burlap. 
Don't  roll  skins;  pack  them  flat.  Of  course,  the 
large  ones  will  have  to  be  folded,  but  the 
smaller  ones  should  be  placed  between  the  folded 
ones.  Keep  those  having  the  fur  side  out  sepa- 
rate from  the  others  or  the  fur  may  get  greasy. 
It  is  best  to  wrap  them  in  paper  before  placing 
them  in  the  package.  Always  put  a  card,  bear- 
ing your  name  and  address,  inside  of  the  pack- 
age to  help  identify  them,  in  case  the  outside  tag 
gets  torn  off.  Put  two  shipping  tags  on  each 
package  and  fill  them  out  with  your  name  and 
address  in  the  place  reserved  for  it.  When  you 
give  them  into  the  hands  of  the  express  company, 
give  their  true  value,  as  near  as  you  can,  and 
be  sure  that  the  agent  marks  the  valuation  on 
the  receipt.  Then  in  case  they  are  lost,  you  can 
hold  the  express  company  responsible.  At  the 
time  of  shipment,  write  a  letter  to  the  fur  com- 
pany, that  you  are  shipping  to,  advising  them 
of  the  shipment,  and  telling  how  you  are  send- 
ing the  furs,  and  just  how  many  and  what  kind 
of  furs  you  are  sending.  If  you  follow  these  in- 
structions, you  will  seldom  have  any  cause  for 
complaint 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

DEEE  FARMING. 

CHIS   chapter   is    from    Farmers'    Bulletin 
330,    issued   July   28,    1908,   by    United 
States  Department  of  Agriculture  and 
written  by  D.  E.  Lantz,  Assistant,  Bio- 
logical Survey. 

The  term  "deer"  is  here  used  in  its  general 
sense,  in  which  it  includes  the  elk,  the  reindeer 
or  caribou,  the  moose  and  other  species,  besides 
those  usually  referred  to  as  deer. 

U.  S.  DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE, 
BUREAU  OF  BIOLOGICAL  SURVEY, 
Washington,  D.  C.,  June  3,  1908. 

SIR:  I  have  the  honor  to  transmit  the  ac- 
companying manuscript  on  the  subject  of  Deer 
Farming  in  the  United  States,  and  to  recom- 
mend its  publication  as  Farmers'  Bulletin  No. 
330.  As  a  result  of  the  growing  scarcity  of  game 
animals  in  this  country  the  supply  of  venison  is 
wholly  inadequate  to  the  demand,  and  the  time 
seems  opportune  for  developing  the  industry  of 

(202) 


DEER   FARMING.  203 

deer  farming,  which  may  be  made  profitable 
alike  to  the  state  and  the  individuals  engaged 
therein.  The  raising  of  venison  for  market  is  as 
legitimate  a  business  as  the  growing  of  beef  and 
mutton,  and  state  laws,  when  prohibitory,  as 
many  of  them  are,  should  be  so  modified  as  to 
encourage  the  industry.  Furthermore,  deer  and 
elk  may  be  raised  to  advantage  in  forests  and 
on  rough,  brushy  ground  unfitted  for  either  agri- 
culture or  stock  raising,  thus  utilizing  for  profit 
much  land  that  is  now  waste.  An  added  ad- 
vantage is  that  the  business  is  well  adapted  to 
landowners  of  small  means. 

Respectfully, 

C.  HART  MERRIAM, 
Chief  Biological  Survey. 
HON.  JAMES  WILSON, 

Secretary  of  Agriculture. 

INTRODUCTION. 

The  present  bulletin  discusses  briefly  the 
economic  possibilities  of  raising  deer  and  elk 
in  the  United  States.  It  is  believed  that  when 
the  restrictions  now  imposed  by  State  laws  are 
removed  this  business  may  be  made  an  important 
and  highly  profitable  industry,  especially  since 
it  will  be  the  means  of  utilizing  much  otherwise 


204  PUB  FARMING. 

unproductive  land.  The  raising  of  venison 
should  be,  and  is  naturally,  as  legitimate  a  busi- 
ness as  the  growing  of  beef  or  mutton,  and  State 
laws  should  be  so  modified  as  to  permit  the  pro- 
ducer, who  has  stocked  a  preserve  with  deer  at 
private  expense,  to  dispose  of  his  product  at 
any  time,  under  reasonable  regulations,  either 
for  breeding  purposes  or  for  food. 

The  growing  scarcity  of  game  mammals  and 
birds  in  the  United  States  and  the  threatened 
extinction  of  some  of  them  over  large  parts  of 
their  present  ranges  make  the  preservation  of 
the  remnant  highly  important.  Very  im- 
portant also  is  the  increase  of  this  remnant  so 
as  to  make  game  once  more  abundant.  It  is 
believed  that  by  means  of  intelligent  game 
propagation,  both  by  the  states  and  by  private 
enterprise,  many  of  our  depleted  ranges  can  be 
restocked  with  big  game.  • 

IMPORTANCE    OF    THE    DEER    FAMILY. 

The  members  of  the  deer  family  (Cervidae) 
rank  next  to  the  cattle  and  sheep  family 
(Bovidse)  in  general  utility,  and  are  the  most 
important  of  the  big  game  animals  of  America. 

Wherever  obtainable  in  quantity  the  flesh  of 
deer  of  different  kinds  has  always  been  a  staple 
article  of  diet,  and  under  present  market  con- 


DEER   FARMING.  •    205 

ditions  it  is  hardly  necessary  to  say  that  venison 
is  perhaps  the  most  important  game,  being  a 
favorite  with  epicures  and  also  having  a  wide 
use  as  a  substitute  for  beef  and  mutton,  which 
meats  it  resembles  in  texture,  color,  and  general 
characteristics.  Its  flavor  is  distinctive,  though 
it  suggests  mutton  rather  than  beef.  In  chem- 
ical composition  it  is  very  similar  to  beef, 
though,  judging  from  available  data,  it  is  not  so 
fat  as  stall-fed  cattle.  The  following  figures 
show  how  it  compares  with  beef  and  mutton: 
A  lean  venison  roast  before  cooking  has  been 
found  to  contain  on  an  average  75  per  cent  of 
water,  20  per  cent  of  protein  or  nitrogenous  ma- 
terial, and  2  per  cent  of  fat;  a  lean  beef  rump, 
some  65  to  70  per  cent  of  water,  20  to  23  per 
cent  of  protein,  and  5  to  14  per  cent  of  fat;  a 
lean  leg  of  mutton,  67  per  cent  of  water,  19  per 
cent  of  protein,  and  13  per  cent  of  fat. 

Venison,  beef,  and  other  common  meats  are 
very  thoroughly  digested,  whatever  the  method 
of  cooking.  Venison  may  be  roasted,  broiled, 
pan-broiled,  or  used  for  making  stews,  in  much 
the  same  way  as  beef.  Venison,  particularly 
steak,  to  be  at  its  best,  should  be  eaten  as  soon 
as  possible  after  it  is  cooked. 

The  general  popularity  of  venison  is  so  great 
and  the  demand  for  it  so  widespread  that  over- 


206  FUR  FARMING. 

production  is  improbable.  The  other  products 
of  the  deer — skins  and  horns — are  of  consid- 
erable importance,  and  in  countries  where  deer 
are  abundant  and  especially  where  large  herds 
are  kept  in  semi-domestication,  the  commerce 
in  both  is  very  extensive. 

THE   DOMESTICATION   OF   DEER. 

A  number  of  species  of  the  deer  family  have 
been  proved  to  be  susceptible  to  domestication. 
The  reindeer,  however,  is  the  only  one  that  has 
been  brought  fully  under  the  control  of  man. 
The  fact  that  the  European  red  deer  and  the  fal- 
low deer  have  been  bred  in  parks  for  centuries 
without  domestication  does  not  prove  that  they 
are  less  susceptible  to  the  process  than  the  rein- 
deer. The  purposes  for  which  they  have  been 
held  captive  and  the  environment  given  them 
have  been  markedly  different.  It  must  be  re- 
membered, also,  that  few  attempts  have  been 
made  to  rear  and  domesticate  deer  under  intel- 
ligent management.  The  work  has  been  largely 
a  matter  of  chance  experiment.  If  they  had 
been  as  long  under  careful  management  as  cat- 
tle, they  would  now,  probably,  be  equally  plastic 
in  the  hands  of  a  skillful  breeder. 

But  raising  deer  for  profit  does  not  neces- 
sarily imply  their  complete  domestication.  They 


DEEE   FARMING.  207 

may  be  kept  in  large  preserves  with  surround- 
ings as  nearly  natural  as  possible  and  their 
domestication  entirely  ignored.  Thus  the  breeder 
may  reap  nearly  all  the  profit  that  could  be  ex- 
pected from  a  domestic  herd,  while  the  animals 
escape  most  of  the  dangers  incident  to  close  cap- 
tivity. But  the  breeder  who  aims  at  the  ulti- 
mate domestication  of  the  animals,  and  whose 
herd  approaches  nearest  to  true  domesticity, 
will  in  the  end  be  most  successful. 

SPECIES  TO  BE  SELECTED  FOR  BREEDING. 

The  number  of  species  of  deer  suited  for 
breeding  in  inclosures  in  the  United  States  is 
great,  though  the  chances  for  success  are  by  no 
means  the  same  for  all.  As  a  rule  those  native 
to  America  are  to  be  preferred,  since  they  are 
already  acclimated.  In  selecting  any  species, 
similarity  between  its  natural  habitat  and  that 
to  which  it  is  to  be  transferred  must  be  con- 
sidered. Important,  also,  is  its  adaptability  to 
varied  conditions,  as  shoAvn  by  former  attempts 
to  acclimatize  it. 

Unless  they  have  shown  a  peculiar  adapt- 
ability to  such  change,  deer  should  not  be  taken 
from  arid  parts  of  the  United  States  to  humid 
parts.  To  a  disregard  of  this  principle  are  prob- 
ably due  many  of  the  failures  that  have  attended 


208  FUR  FABMING. 

experiments  in  breeding  the  American  antelope, 
the  Columbia  blacktail  deer,  the  moose,  and 
other  animals  in  places  differing  widely  from 
their  natural  ranges. 

The  history  of  attempts  to  acclimatize  the 
several  kinds  of  deer  shows  that  some  readily 
adapt  themselves  to  a  great  variety  of  conditions, 
and  efforts  to  introduce  them  into  new  countries 
have  been  almost  uniformly  successful.  Such 
has  been  the  experience  with  the  axis  deer,  the 
Japanese  and  Pekin  sikas,  the  red  and  the  fal- 
low deer  of  Europe,  and  especially  with  the 
wapiti,  or  Rocky  Mountain  elk,  and  the  Virginia 
deer.  While  experiments  with  the  foreign  spe- 
cies named  offer  every  promise  of  success  to  the 
owners  of  American  preserves,  there  are  obvious 
reasons  for  recommending  the  two  native 
animals  just  mentioned  as  best  suited  for  the 
production  of  venison  in  the  United  States. 

THE  WAPITI,,  OR  ROCKY  MOUNTAIN  ELK. 

The  Wapiti  (Ccrvus  canadensis] ,  including 
two  related  species  and  a  geographic  race,  and 
known  in  America  as  the  elk,  is,  next  to  the 
moose,  the  largest  of  our  deer.  It  was  once 
abundant  over  the  greater  part  of  the  United 
States,  whence  its  range  extended  northward  to 
about  latitude  60°  in  the  Peace  River  region  of 


* 
DEER   FARMING.  209 

the  interior  of  Canada.  In  the  United  States 
the  limits  of  its  range  eastward  were  the  Adiron- 
dacks,  western  New  Jersey,  and  eastern  Pennsyl- 
vania; southward  it  reaches  the  southern  Alle- 
ghenies,  northern  Texas,  southern  Mexico,  and 
Arizona;  and  westward  the  Pacific  Ocean. 

For  the  practical  purposes  of  this  bulletin  all 
the  forms  of  the  wapiti  are  treated  as  a  single 
species.  At  the  present  time  the  range  of  these 
animals  lias  so  far  diminished  that  they  occur 
only  in  a  few  scattered  localities  outside  of  the 
Yellowstone  National  Park  and  the  moun- 
tainous country  surrounding  it,  where  large 
herds  remain.  Smaller  herds  still  occur  in  Col- 
orado, western  Montana,  Idaho,  eastern  Oregon, 
Manitoba,  Alberta,  British  Columbia,  and  the 
coast  mountains  of  Washington,  Oregon,  and 
northwestern  California.  A  band  of  the  small 
California  valley  elk  still  inhabits  the  southern 
part  of  the  San  Joaquin  Valley. 

The  herds  that  summer  in  the  Yellowstone 
National  Park  and  in  winter  spread  southward 
and  eastward  in  Wyoming  are  said  to  number 
about  30,000  head,  and  constitute  the  only  large 
bands  of  this  noble  game  animal  that  are  left. 
Although  protected  in  their  summer  ranges  and 
partially  safeguarded  from  destruction  in  winter 

14 


210  FUR  FARMING. 

by  the  State  of  Wyoming,  there  is  yet  great 
danger  that  these  herds  may  perish  from  lack 
of  food  in  a  succession  of  severe  winters.  Par- 
tial provision  for  winter  forage  has  been  made 
within  the  National  Park,  but  the  supply  is  in- 
adequate for  the  large  number  of  animals. 
Further  safeguards  are  needed  to  place  the 
Wyoming  elk  herds  beyond  the  reach  of  winter 
starvation. 

In  addition  to  the  wild  herds,  there  are  a 
considerable  number  of  elk  in  private  game  pre- 
serves and  parks,  as  well  as  in  nearly  all  the 
public  zoological  parks  and  gardens  of  this 
country.  The  herds  in  captivity  form  the 
nucleus  from  which,  under  wise  management, 
some  of  the  former  ranges  of  this  animal  may 
be  restocked  and  from  which  a  profitable  busi- 
ness of  growing  elk  venison  for  market  may  be 
developed.  At  the  present  time  this  species  af- 
fords a  most  promising  field  for  ventures  in 
breeding  for  profit. 

Habits  of  Elk. 

The  elk  is  both  a  browsing  and  a  grazing 
animal.  While  it  eats  grasses  freely  and  has 
been  known  to  subsist  entirely  upon  pasture,  it 
seems  to  prefer  a  mixture  of  grass  and  browse. 

The  elk  is  extremely  polygamous.    The  adult 


DEER   FARMING.  211 

bulls  shed  their  antlers  annually  in  March  or 
April,  and  new  ones  attain  their  full  size  in 
about  ninety  days.  The  "velvet"  adheres  until 
about  August.  While  the  horns  are  growing  the 
bulls  usually  lead  solitary  lives;  but  early  in 
September,  when  the  horns  are  fully  matured, 
the  rutting  season  begins.  Fights  for  supremacy 
then  take  place,  and  the  victor  takes  charge  of 
as  many  cows  as  he  can  round  up  and  control. 
The  period  of  gestation  is  about  8£  months. 
The  female  does  not  usually  breed  until  the 
third  year,  and  produces  but  one  calf  at  a  time. 
Although  the  elk  is  less  prolific  than  the  com- 
mon deer  and  some  other  species  that  have  been 
bred  in  parks,  it  increases  fully  as  rapidly  as 
the  common  red  deer  of  Europe.  Moreover,  it 
makes  up  for  any  lack  of  fecundity  by  its  supe- 
rior hardiness  and  ease  of  management.  It  has 
been  acclimatized  in  many  parts  of  the  world, 
and  shows  the  same  vigor  and  hardiness 
wherever  it  has  been  transplanted.  In  Europe 
it  has  been  successfully  crossed  with  Altai  wapiti 
and  the  red  deer,  and  in  both  instances  the  off- 
spring were  superior  in  size  and  general  stamina 
to  the  native  stock. 


212  FUR  FARMING. 


Elk  Venison. 

The  flesh  of  the  elk,  although  somewhat 
coarse,  is  superior  in  flavor  to  most  venison. 
That  of  the  bulls  is  in  its  best  condition  about 
the  time  the  velvet  is  shed.  By  the  time  the  rut 
is  over,  in  October,  their  flesh  is  in  the  poorest 
condition.  As  the  open  season  for  elk  is  usually 
in  October  and  November,  and  only  bulls  are 
killed,  it  follows  that  hunters  often  obtain  the 
venison  when  it  is  poorest.  The  meat  is  not  best 
when  freshly  killed,  but  should  be  left  hanging 
for  four  or  five  days  before  it  is  used.  Of  course 
fat  elk  are  better  eating  than  lean,  and  it  is  said 
that  venison  from  castrated  bulls  is  superior  to 
any  other. 

Domestication  of  Elk. 

.With  few  exceptions  the  early  attempts  to  do- 
mesticate elk  Avere  made  by  men  who  were 
wealthy  enough  to  disregard  all  thought  of  profit 
in  raising  them.  They  were  usually  placed  under 
the  care  of  servants  and  the  bucks  were  left  un- 
castrated  until  they  became  old  and  unmanage- 
able. Soon  the  serious  problem  of  controlling 
them  outweighed  the  novelty  of  their  possession, 
and  one  by  one  attempts  at  domestication  were 
abandoned. 


DEER   FARMING. 


213 


214  FUE  FABMING. 

A  desire  to  preserve  this  important  game  ani- 
mal has  caused  a  renewal  of  attempts  to  breed 
it  in  confinement,  and  at  present  there  are  small 
herds  under  private  ownership  in  many  places  in 
the  United  States.  The  Biological  Survey  has 
recently  obtained  much  information  froip  own- 
ers of  herds  in  regard  to  their  experience  in 
breeding  and  rearing  the  animals,  and  also  their 
opinions  as  to  the  possibility  of  making  the  busi- 
ness of  raising  them  profitable.  Of  about  a 
dozen  successful  breeders,  nearly  all  are  of  the 
opinion  that  raising  elk  for  market  can  be  made 
remunerative  if  present  laws  as  to  the  sale  of 
the  meat  are  modified. 

One  especially  important  fact  has  been  devel- 
oped by  the  reports  from  breeders.  It  is  that  the 
elk  readily  adapts  itself  to  almost  any  environ- 
ment. Even  within  the  narrow  confines  of  the 
paddocks  of  the  ordinary  zoological  park  the  ani- 
mal does  well  and  increases  so  that  periodically 
the  herds  have  to  be  reduced  by  sales. 

The  fullest  reports  that  have  been  received  by 
the  Department  of  Agriculture  from  breeders  of 
elk  are  from  George  W.  Buss,  of  Eureka  Springs, 
Ark.,  through  H.  N.  Vinall,  of  the  Bureau  of 
Plant  Industry. 

Mr.  Buss  has  a  herd  of  34  elk.  They  have 
ample  range  in  the  Ozarks  on  rough  land  covered 


DEER   FARMING.  215 

with  hardwood  forest  and  abundant  underbrush. 
The  animals  improve  the  forest  by  clearing  out 
part  of  the  thicket.  They  feed  on  buds  and 
leaves  to  a  height  of  8  feet,  and  any  growth 
under  this  is  liable  to  be  eliminated  if  the  range 
is  restricted.  If  not  closely  confined,  elk  do  not 
eat  the  bark  from  trees,  nor  do  they  eat  ever- 
greens. In  clearing  out  underbrush  from  thick- 
ets they  are  more  useful  than  goats,  since  they 
browse  higher.  Goats,  however,  eat  closer  to 
the  ground;  and  as  the  two  animals  get  along 
well  together,  Mr.  Russ  recommends  the  use  of 
both  for  clearing  up  brushy  land  and  fitting  it 
for  tame  grasses. 

The  increase  of  elk  under  domestication  is 
equal  to  that  of  cattle.  Fully  90  per  cent,  of  the 
females  produce  healthy  young.  An  adult  male 
elk  weighs  from  700  to  1,.000  pounds;  a  female 
from  600  to  800  pounds.  The  percentage  of 
dressed  meat  is  greater  than  with  cattle,  but, 
owing  to  hostile  game  laws,  experience  in  mar- 
keting it  is  very  limited.  An  offer  of  40  cents  a 
pound  for  dressed  meat  was  received  from  St. 
Louis,  but  the  law  would  not  permit  its  export. 
Mr.  Russ  says: 

"From  the  fact  that  as  high  as  $1.50  per 
pound  has  been  paid  for  this  meat  in  New  York 
City  and  Canada,  and  that  the  best  hotels  and  res- 


216  FUS  FARMING. 

taurants  pronounce  it  the  finest  of  all  the  meats 
of  mammals,  we  are  of  the  opinion  that  if  laws 
were  such  that  domesticated  elk  meat  could  be 
furnished  it  would  be  many  years  before  the  sup- 
ply would  make  the  price  reasonable  compared 
with  other  meats.  Elk  meat  can  be  produced 
in  many  sections  of  this  country  at  less  cost  per 
pound  than  beef,  mutton,  or  pork." 

Mr.  Russ  thinks  that  large  areas  of  rough 
lands  in  the  United  States  not  now  utilized,  es- 
pecially in  localities  like  the  Ozarks  and  the 
Alleghanies,  could  be  economically  used  to  pro- 
duce venison  for  sale,  and  he  regards  the  elk  as 
especially  suited  for  this  purpose. 

Another  feature  of  Mr.  Russ's  report  is  of 
more  than  passing  interest.  He  says : 

"We  find  from  long  experience  that  cattle, 
sheep,  and  goats  can  be  grazed  in. the  same  lots 
with  elk,  providing,  however,  that  the  Jots  or 
inclosures  are  not  small ;  the  larger  the  area  the 
better.  We  know  of  no  more  appropriate  place 
to  call  attention  to  the  great  benefit  of  a  few 
elk  in  the  same  pasture  with  sheep  and  goats. 
An  elk  is  the  natural  enemy  of  dogs  and  wolves. 
We  suffered  great  losses  to  our  flocks  until  we 
learned  this  fact;  since  then  we  have  had  no  loss 
from  that  cause.  A  few  elk  in  a  thousand-acre 
pasture  will  absolutely  protect  the  flocks  therein. 


DEER   FARMING.  217 

Our  own  dogs  are  so  well  aware  of  the  danger  in 
our  elk  park  that  they  can  not  be  induced  to 
enter  it." 

Judge  Caton,  in  his  Antelope  and  Deer  of 
America,  also  remarks  on  the  animosity  of  elk 
toward  dogs,  and  says  that  the  does  always  lead 
in  the  chase  of  dogs  that  get  into  the  elk  park. 
If  elk  will  attack  and  vanquish  dogs  and  coy- 
otes and  thus  help  to  protect  domestic  animals 
grazing  in  the  same  pastures,  a  knowledge  of  the 
fact  may  be  of  great  advantage  to  stockmen  who 
desire  to  give  up  herding  sheep  and  resort  to 
fenced  pastures  instead.  The  addition  of  a  few 
elk  in  the  pasture  may  be  an  efficient  protection 
from  dogs,  coyotes,  and  wolves.  However,  out- 
side of  fenced  pastures  elk  do  not  always  show 
themselves  hostile  to  dogs  and  coyotes. 

Management  of  Elk  in  Inclosures. 

Lorenzo  Stratton,  of  Little  Valley,  Cattarau- 
gus  County,  N.  Y.,  began  experiments  in  breed- 
ing elk  about  sixty  years  ago.  His  plan  of 
management  consisted  essentially  in  taming  the 
calves  when  very  young  and  continuing  the  pet- 
ting process  with  the  entire  herd.  He  visited 
the  animals  daily  in  the  pasture  and  always 
carried  dainties  to  feed  them.  As  the  bulls 
became  old  and  developed  signs  of  viciousness, 


218  FUE  FARMING. 

they  were  castrated,  younger  animals  being  used 
for  breeding.  He  thus  developed  a  thoroughly 
domesticated  herd. 

For  economic  reasons,  it  is  not  always  pos- 
sible to  follow  Mr.  Stratton's  plan.  Those  who 
grow  the  animals  for  venison  and  in  large  pre- 
serves would  find  it  impracticable  to  tame  all 
the  calves.  However,  if  elk  or  deer  are  grown 
for  stocking  parks  or  private  preserves,  the  tamer 
they  are  the  easier  it  will  be  to  handle  and  ship 
them. 

RANGE. — In  choosing  a  range  for  elk,  the  nat- 
ural food  supply  is  important.  They  thrive  best 
in  preserves  having  a  variety  of  food  plants — 
grasses,  bushes,  and  trees.  Rough  lands,  well 
watered  with  clear  streams  and  having  some 
forested  area,  are  well  adapted  to  their  needs. 
About  as  many  elk  can  be  kept  on  such  a  range 
as  cattle  on  an  equal  area  of  fair  pasture..  There 
should  be  thickets  enough  to  furnish  winter 
browse,  but  this  should  be  supplemented  by  a 
supply  of  winter  forage. 

POOD. — Except  when  deep  snows  cover  the 
ground,  elk  will  keep  in  good  condition  on  ordi- 
nary pasture  and  browse;  but  a  system  of  man- 
agement that  provides  other  food  regularly  will 
be  found  more  satisfactory.  Hay  and  corn  fod- 
der are  excellent  winter  forage;  but  alfalfa  hay 


DEER    FARMING.  219 

has  proved  to  be  the  best  dry  food  for  both  elk 
and  deer.  A  little  oats  or  corn — whole  or  chop- 
ped— may  be  fed  each  day.  Elk  are  fond  of 
corn,  and  feeding  it  affords  excellent  opportuni- 
ties for  winning  their  confidence  and  taming 
them.  The  same  may  be  said  of  salt,  which 
should  be  furnished  liberally  to  all  deer  kept  in 
inelosures.  Running  water,  although  not  es- 
sential, is  of  great  importance  in  maintaining 
elk  in  good  condition. 

FENCE. — Elk  are  much  less  nervous  than  or- 
dinary deer,  and  less  disposed  to  jump  fences. 
When  they  escape  from  an  enclosure  they  usually 
return  of  their  own  accord.  If  tame,  they  may 
be  driven  like  cattle.  Ordinarily,  a  5-foot  fence 
of  any  kind  will  confine  elk.  Henry  Binning, 
of  Cora,  Wyo.,  writes  us  that  a  4-foot  woven- 
wire  fence  is  ample  for  these  animals.  A  small 
enclosure  in  which  a  vicious  bull  elk  is  to  be 
kept  should  be  higher  and  of  stronger  material. 
Mr.  Russ's  report,  already  partly  quoted,  states 
that  where  lumber  for  posts  is  cheap  a  good  elk 
fence  may  be  built  for  $200  a  mile.  But  the  ac- 
tual cost  will,  of  course,  vary  greatly  according 
to  style,  price  of  labor,  nearness  to  market,  and 
other  circumstances. 

COST  OF  STOCK. — The  cost  of  stocking  an  elk 
preserve  is  not  great.  Usually  surplus  stock 


220  FUR  FARMING. 

from  zoological  parks  or  small  private  preserves 
may  be  obtained  at  low  cost,  varying  with  the 
immediate  demand  for  the  animals.  At  times 
they  have  sold  for  less  than  $20  a  head,  and  with 
the  present  restrictions  on  sale,  low  prices  are 
likely  to  continue.  A  few  years  ago  T.  J.  Wil- 
son, of  Lewisburg,  Ohio,  paid  |165  for  three 
animals.  A  Michigan  breeder  recently  offered 
to  deliver  a  dozen  head,  sex  and  age  not  given, 
all  fine  specimens,  for  $500.  This  is,  of  course, 
a  low  price,  not  more  than  cattle  would  bring 
and  less  than  the  venison  would  be  worth  if 
it  could  be  sold.  If  restrictions  on  the  sale  and 
shipment  of  venison  from  private  preserves  were 
removed,  prices  of  the  stock  would,  of  course, 
soon  advance,  and  necessitate  a  greater  outlay 
in  starting  the  business. 

Vicious  MALE  ELK. — The  male  elk  is  ordinar- 
ily docile,  but  in  the  rutting  season  the  older  ones 
often  become  ill-tempered  and  dangerous.  Sev- 
eral tragedies  connected  with  attempts  to  do- 
mesticate elk  are  matters  of  history.  One  was 
recorded  by  Judge  Caton  in  his  Antelope  and 
Deer  of  America  as  having  occurred  in  his  own 
park.  Another  took  place  at  Bull  City,  Osborne 
County,  Kans.,  in  October  1879,  and  resulted 
in  the  instant  death  of  Gen.  H.  C.  Bull,  the  mor- 
tal wounding  of  two  other  men,  and  the  serious 


DEER    FARMING.  221 

injury  of  another,  from  the  attacks  of  an  infuri- 
ated bull  elk  that  had  previously  been  regarded 
as  extremely  gentle. 

Wild  and  unconfined  deer  and  elk  flee  from 
man  under  nearly  all  circumstances,  but  when 
wounded  and  closely  pressed  they  have  been 
known  to  attack  hunters.  It  is  unlikely  that, 
even  in  the  rutting  season,  a  wild  bull  elk  would 
attack  a  human  being.  But  the  tame  or  partially 
tame  animals  that  have  become  familiar  with 
man  are  to  be  feared  and  should  not  be  ap- 
proached in  that  season  without  extreme  caution. 
A  male  elk  or  deer  that  has  once  shown  vicious- 
ness  can  not  again  be  trusted. 

The  remedy  for  viciousness  in  the  male  elk 
is  castration.  It  is  unsafe  to  keep  an  uncastrated 
male  elk  over  4  years  old,  unless  he  is  in  a 
strongly  fenced  inclosure  from  which  visitors 
are  excluded.  The  effects  of  castration  are  to 
make  the  animal  docile  and  to  greatly  enhance 
his  value  for  venison.  This  is  in  accord  with  ob- 
served results  in  the  production  of  beef,  pork, 
and  mutton.  Venison  grown  in  domestication 
under  a  system  in  which  the  male  animals  in- 
tended for  slaughter  are  castrated  should  be  uni- 
formly of  the  highest  grade  and  far  superior  to 
that  obtained  in  the  wild  state  during  the  usual 
open  season  for  hunting.  This  consideration  is 


222  FUR  FARMING. 

of  the  greatest  importance  in  fixing  the  final 
status  of  venison  grown  under  domestication. 

Breeding  the  Virginia  Deer. 

The  Virginia,  or  whitetail  deer  (Odocoileus 
virginianus)  is  the  common  deer  of  the  United 
States.  Including  the  half  dozen  geographic 
races  that  occur  within  our  borders,  it  is  dis- 
tributed over  most  of  the  country,  except  Ne- 
vada and  the  major  portions  of  Utah,  Arizona, 
Washington,  Oregon,  and  California.  It  is  ex- 
tinct in  Delaware  and  practically  so  in  a  num- 
ber of  States  in  the  Middle  West.  South  of  our 
borders  a  number  of  closely  related  species 
occur. 

In  view  of  the  wide  natural  range  of  the 
whitetail  deer,  its  adaptability  to  nearly  all  sec- 
tions of  the  United  States  can  not  be  doubted. 
Testimony  as  to  its  hardiness  in  parks  and  pre- 
serves is  not  so  unanimous  as  that  concerning 
the  wapiti ;  but  the  general  experience  of  breed- 
ers is  that  with  suitable  range,  plenty  of  good 
water,  and  reasonable  care  in  winter,  raising 
this  deer  for  stocking  preserves  or  for  venison 
may  be  made  as  profitable  as  any  other  live- 
stock industry.  Not  only  do  deer  thrive  on 
land  unsuited  for  cattle  or  horses,  but,  like  elk, 
they  may  be  raised  to  great  advantage  in  brushy 


DEER   FARMING.   '  223 

or  timbered  pastures  fully  stocked  with  cattle 
or  horses,  as  the  food  of  deer  rarely  includes 
grass. 

Advocates  of  the  Angora  goat  industry  state 
that  within  the  United  States  there  are  250,- 
000,000  acres  of  land  not  suited  to  tillage  or  to 
the  pasture  of  horses,  cattle,  or  sheep,  which  are 
well  adapted  to  goats.  Much  of  this  land  is 
suited  also  to  deer  and  elk,  and  can  be  utilized 
for  these  animals  with  less  injury  to  the  forest 
cover  than  would  result  from  its  browsing  by 
goats. 

The  whitetail  deer  has  often  been  the  sub- 
ject of  experiments  in  domestication.  The  beauty 
of  these  animals,  especially  the  fawns,  appeals  to 
every  admirer  of  wild  life,  and  early  settlers 
of  the  country  soon  learned  how  easily  they 
could  be  tamed  and  how  promptly  they  attached 
themselves  to  the  persons  who  fed  them.  The 
dangerous  character  of  the  same  pets,  especially 
the  males,  when  grown  up  was  soon  learned  also. 
It  followed  that  the  domesticating  process  usual- 
ly ended  with  the  maturity  of  the  first  subject, 
which  was  soon  disposed  of  or  banished  to  a 
safe  inclosure. 

The  propagation  of  the  Virginia  deer  has 
seldom  been  undertaken  in  a  systematic  way. 
The  animals  have  often  been  bred  in  parks  for 


224  FUR  FARMING. 

pleasure  or  in  large  preserves  for  sport,  but  the 
economic  possibilities  in  raising  them  have  re- 
ceived little  attention.  Recently  breeders  have 
recognized  the  fact  that  they  are  profitable 
under  proper  management  and  would  be  much 
more  so  were  conditions  for  marketing  live  ani- 
mals and  venison  more  favorable. 

Experiences  of  Breeders. 

The  Biological  Survey  has  reports  of  suc- 
cessful experience  in  raising  Virginia  deer  from 
more  than  a  dozen  persons,  located  in  different 
parts  of  the  country,  who  are  now  engaged  in 
the  business.  The  management  of  the  herds 
varies  slightly  with  the  surroundings  and  the 
object  for  which  they  are  kept. 

Thomas  Blagden,  of  Washington,  D.  C.,  be- 
gan raising  deer  in  1874.  After  an  experience 
of  over  a  third  of  a  century  he  is  confident  that 
the  business  can  be  made  profitable.  In  his  own 
herds  he  has  carefully  avoided  in-breeding  by 
securing  new  bucks  from  time  to  time.  His 
stock  is  vigorous  and  of  the  large  size  charac- 
teristic of  the  Adirondack  and  other  northern 
deer.  Consequently  the  animals  are  in  demand 
for  breeding  purposes,  the  bucks  bringing  |50 
each  and  the  does,  f 75.  He  feeds  grain,  using 
corn  and  a  mixture  of  bran  and  meal,  and  dur- 


DEER    FARMING.  225 

ing  the  summer  cuts  as  much  wild  forage  as  pos- 
sible. He  finds  that  the  animals  prefer  the  rank- 
est weeds  to  the  choicest  grass.  Of  the  various 
kinds  of  hay,  they  prefer  alfalfa.  He  provides 
abundant  water  at  all  times. 

John  W.  Griggs,  of  Goodell,  Iowa,  writes 
that  he  has  been  engaged  in  raising  deer  for 
about  fourteen  years.  Until  two  years  ago  he 
sold  all  his  surplus  stock  for  parks,  but  since 
then  has  disposed  of  about  half  of  it  for  venison. 
For  park  purposes  he  gets  $20  to  $30  a  head,  but 
they  bring  fully  as  much  or  more  when  fattened 
for  venison.  As  to  management  of  deer,  Mr. 
Griggs  writes  : 

"In  raising  a  large  herd  the  park  should  be 
divided  into  two  or  three  lots,  and  one  plowed 
each  year  and  sown  to  red  clover,  mustard,  rape, 
and  seeds  of  different  kinds  of  weeds.  Bluegrass 
and  timothy  are  useless.  Corn  is  the  principal 
grain  I  feed.  I  feed  it  winter  and  summer.  In 
winter  I  feed  also  clover  hay,  oat  straw,  and 
weedy  wild  hay.  Deer  when  rightly  handled 
are  very  prolific,  and  from  50  does  one  can 
count  on  75  fawns.  They  can  be  raised  profit- 
ably for  venison — very  profitably  until  overdone; 
but  I  would  not  advise  one  to  go  into  it  on  a 
large  scale  without  previous  experience  with 
deer." 

*15 


226  FUll  FARMING. 

The  report,  received  from  C.  H.  Roseberry, 
of  Stella,  Mo.,  although  less  enthusiastic  than 
others,  is  quoted  because  his  herd  approaches 
more  nearly  a  state  of  true  domestication.  Un- 
der date  of  January  13,  1908,  Mr.  Roseberry 
wrote  as  follows: 

"My  experience  in  breeding  the  common  or 
Virginia  deer  covers  a  period  of  seventeen  years, 
beginning  in  March,  1891,  when,  as  a  boy  of  16, 
I  built  a  small  inclosure  of  1|  acres  to  confine  a 
single  doe  that  was  captured  as  a  fawn  in  the 
neighboring  forest. 

"A  buck  and  other  does  were  secured  from 
year 'to  year,  until  in  1900,  by  purchase  and  nat- 
ural increase,  my  herd  numbered  25  head  of  all 
ages. 

"From  1891  to  1901  I  lost  every  year  from 
disease  an  average  of  20  per  cent.  The  climax 
came  in  the  drought  year  of  1901,  when  my  loss 
was  50  per  cent  from  the  disease  known  as 
"black  tongue." 

"I  am  Convinced. that,  like  cholera  in  swine, 
individuals  recovering  from  this  disease  are  im- 
mune from  further  attack.  Apparently  all  of 
my  herd  were  afflicted.  The  survivors  and  their 
progeny  constitute  my  present  breeding  stock.  I 
have  made  no  purchases  since  1901,  nor  have  I 
suffered  anv  loss  from  disease. 


DEER   FARMING.  227 

"For  the  last  seven  years  my  herd  has  aver- 
aged 70  per  cent  increase,  all  of  which  I  have 
sold  at  satisfactory  prices.  I  began  selling  at 
$20  per  pair  of  fawns  at  4  months  of  age  and  $30 
per  pair  of  adults.  I  now  get  $40  and  $60,  re- 
spectively. I  sell  almost  exclusively  for  pets 
and  for  propagating  purposes,  although  a  few 
surplus  bucks  have  been  sold  for  venison,  averag- 
ing me  15  cents  per  pound  gross  weight. 

"If  we  except  the  goat,  I  know  of  no  domes- 
tic animal  common  to  the  farm  that  requires 
so  little  feed  and  attention  as  the  deer.  My 
herd  has  a  range  of  only  15  acres,  two-thirds 
•of  which  are  set  to  white  clover,  bluegrass,  and 
orchard  grass.  I  provide  also  a  small  plat  of 
wheat  or  rye  for  winter  pasture.  With  the  above 
provision,  in  this  latitude,  no  feed  is  required 
between  April  15  and  November  15.  During  the 
rest  of  the  year  a  ration  of  corn,  bran,  or  other 
mill  feed  somewhat  smaller  than  that  required 
for  sheep,  in  connection  with  a  stack  of  clover 
or  pea  hay  to  which  they  have  free  access,  is 
sufficient  to  keep  them  in  good  condition.  Deer 
eat  with  relish  nearly  all  of  the  common  coarse 
weeds,  and  for  clearing  land  of  brush  they  are, 
I  think,  second  only  to  the  common  goat. 

"Probably  the  greatest  expense  connected 
with  the  business  of  raising  deer  is  the  fencing. 


228  FUIt   FARMING. 

Another  item  of  trouble  and  expense,  when  the 
animals  are  raised  for  pets,  requiring  that  they 
be  handled  and  shipped  alive,  is  the  fact  that  the 
fawns  must  be  taken  from  the  does  when  10  days 
old  and  raised  by  hand  on  cow's  milk.  They  are 
quite  easily  raised  in  this  way,  with  but  slight 
percentage  of  loss,  but  require  frequent  and  care- 
ful attention  for  the  first  month.  When  they  are 
alloAved  to  run  with  the  does  their  natural  wild- 
ness  can  not  be  overcome,  no  matter  how  gentle 
the  does  may  be. 

"I  have  found  the  business  profitable  on  the 
lines  indicated.  I  believe  they  could  be  profit- 
ably bred  for  venison  alone — certainly  with  less 
trouble  and  expense,  since  the  fawns  could  be 
reared  by  the  does  and  the  trouble  and  expense 
of  raising  by  hand  would  be  eliminated. 

"My  experience  does  not  coincide  with  that  of 
some  other  breeders  in  respect  to  the  weakening 
of  reproductive  powers  of  deer  by  the  confine- 
ment in  parks.  I  have  no  barren  does.  Usually 
they  produce  a  single  fawn  at  two  years  of  age ; 
afterwards  twins,  and  in  rare  cases  triplets." 

Management  of  Virginia  Deer. 

As  to  ,the  management  of  deer  little  need  be 
added  to  the  statements  from  practical  breed- 
ers already  given.  Virginia  deer  are  polyga- 


DEER    FARMING. 


229 


mous,  like  cattle;  the  rutting  season  is  in 
November;  the  period  of  gestation  is  about  seven 
months,  and  the  fawns  are  born  in  May  or  June. 
Young  does  usually  breed  when  about  17 
months  old  and  have  but  one  fawn  the  first 
time;  afterwards  they  commonly  produce  tAvins. 


Tame  Deer  Eating  Watermelon. 

The  fawns  are  spotted  until  the  first  shedding 
of  the  hair  in  the  fall. 

While  deer  are  chiefly  browsing  animals,  in 
captivity  they  eat  nearly  every  kind  of  vegeta- 
tion, including  most  kinds  of  garden  stuff.  They 
are  fond  of  acorns,  beechnuts,  chestnuts,  and 
other  mast.  Lily  pads,  leaves,  lichens,  and 


230  PUR  FARMING. 

mosses  are  freely  eaten.  With  plenty  of  range 
and  an  abundant  variety  of  plants  there  need 
be,  therefore,  no  apprehension  concerning  the 
deer's  food.  A  good  supply  of  running  water 
must  be  provided,  and  the  animals  should  have 
access  to  rock  salt.  If  the  browse  and  pastur- 
age are  scant,  a  small  ration  of  grain  should  be 
fed.  Of  the  grains,  corn  is  generally  recom- 
mended as  a  food ;  there  is  no  waste,  as  the  deer 
pick  up  every  grain.  Coarse  hay  full  of  weeds 
is  preferable  to  timothy  or  other  tame  hays, 
except  alfalfa.  Of  clover  hay,  deer  usually  eat 
the  blossom  heads  greedily,  but  waste  the  other 
parts.  In  winter  feeding  is  necessary  everywhere, 
and  in  the  northern  half  of  the  United  States 
shelter  of  some  kind  should  be  provided. 

The  remarks  about  castrating  elk  apply  as 
well  to  the  common  deer.  A  number  of  vigorous 
bucks,  however,  must  be  kept  with  any  consider- 
able herd  of  does,  for  a  single  buck  can  not 
serve  an  unlimited  .number.  Frequent  changes 
of  blood  by  introducing  new  bucks  should  be 
practiced  to  avoid  inbreeding. 

Wild  Deer  in  Private  Game  Preserves. 

Individual  owners,  as  well  as  associations, 
have  established  large  private  preserves  in  many 
parts  of  the  country  and  stocked  them  with  deer 


DEER   FARMING.  231 

and  other  big  game.  The  objects  have  been  to 
preserve  the  animals  and  to  provide  sport  for  the 
owners.  In  the  free  life  under  the  protected 
conditions  generally  provided,  deer  do  remark- 
ably well,  the  increase  being  even  more  rapid 
than  in  small  parks.  There  can  be  no  doubt 
of  the  success  of  ventures  in  propagating  the 
Virginia  deer  under  natural  conditions  as  wild 
game,  as  is  proved  by  the  experience  of  a 
large  number  of  hunting  clubs  and  private  own- 
ers. 

Deer  in  Buckwood  Park,  a  New  Jersey  pre- 
serve of  4,000  acres,  belonging  to  Charles  S. 
Worthington,  increased  in  the  ten  years  between 
1892  and  1903  from  19  to  about  400  head,  and 
the  number  was  then  lessened  because  it  was 
thought  too  large  for  the  permanent  sustaining 
capacity  of  the  park.  The  St.  Louis  Park  and 
Agricultural  Company  have  about  1,000  deer  and 
400  elk  in  their  5,000-acre  preserve  in  .Taney 
County,  Mo.  The  Otzinachson  Eod  and  Gun 
Club  six  years  ago  placed  about  90  deer,  mostly 
does,  in  their  4,000  acre  park  in  Clinton  County, 
Pa.  These  have  multiplied  to  nearly  2,000  head, 
and  a  further  increase  of  about  a  thousand  fawns 
is  expected  during  the  present  season  (1908). 
Doubtless  these  experiences  are  not  exceptional. 

The  good  effect  of  such  preserves  on  the  sup- 


232  FUR   FARMING. 

ply  of  game  in  the  State  should  not  be  over- 
looked. While  they  may  temporarily  restrict 
the  hunting  privileges  of  a  few  citizens,  they  ul- 
timately become  a  source  of  game  supply  second- 
ary in  importance  only  to  State  preserves  or 
game  refuges.  Already  a  number  of  private  re- 
serves have  become  overstocked,  and  game  has 
escaped  or  been  turned  over  to  the  State  to  be- 
come the  property  of  the  people.  The  success  of 
private  enterprise  in  propagating  large  game  in 
inclosures  has  thus  become  an  object  lesson  for 
State  game  commissioners  and  others,  and  sug- 
gests the  feasibility  of  the  State's  undertaking 
a  similar  work  for  the  people. 

GAME   LAAVS    IN    RELATION    TO    DEER   FARMING. 

The  chief  obstacle  to  profitable  propagation 
of  deer  in  the  United  States  is  the  restrictive 
character  of  State  laws  governing  the  killing, 
sale,  and  transportation  of  game.  Many  of  the 
States,  following  precedent,  lay  down  the  broad 
rule  that  all  the  game  animals  in  the  State,  wheth- 
er resident  or  migratory,  are  the  property  of  the 
State.  A  few  States  except  game  animals  that 
are  "under  private  ownership  legally  acquired." 
A  few  others  encourage  private  ownership  by 
providing  a  way  in  which  wild  animals — deer 
and  the  like- -may  be  captured  for  domestication. 


DEER   FARMING.  233 

•Generally,  when  private  ownership  of  game  is 
recognized  by  law,  the  right  to  kill  such  game 
is  granted,  but  the  owner  is  hampered  by  the 
same  regulations  as  to  season,  sale,  and  ship- 
ment that  apply  to  wild  game.  One  by  one, 
however,  State  legislatures  are  coming  to  recog- 
nize the  interests  of  game  propagators,  and  jjame 
laws  are  gradually  being  modified  in  accordance 
with  the  change  of  view. 

The  chief  source  from  which  deer  and  elk 
may  be  obtained  for  stocking  preserves  is  from 
animals  already  in  captivity.  These  must  be 
transported  from  place  to  place  or  there  can  be 
no  commerce  in  them,  yet  the  laws  of  many 
States  absolutely  forbid  their  shipment.  The 
laws  as  to  possession  and  transportation  of  deer 
carcasses  make  the  shipping  of  venison  also  il- 
legal. General  export  of  venison  is  legal  from 
only  six  of  the  States,  and  three  of  these  have 
no  wild  deer  left  to  protect. 

The  laws  concerning  the  season  for  killing 
and  the  sale  of  deer  are  often  equally  embarrass- 
ing to  those  who  would  produce  venison  for 
profit.  The  owner  of  domesticated  deer  can  not 
legally  kill  his  animals  except  in  open  season. 
Owners  of  private  preserves  are  similarly  re- 
stricted and  are  limited  to  the  killing  of  one  or 
two  animals  in  a  season.  More  than  half 


234  FUR  FARMING. 

the  States  and  territories  absolutely  forbid 
the  sale  of  venison.  A  few  forbid  the  sale  of  ven- 
ison produced  within  the  State,  but  permit  the 
sale  of  that  imported  from  other  States,  a  most 
unjust  discrimination  against  home  industry. 

The  following  States  have  recently  modified 
their  laws  so  as  to  provide,  under  regulations, 
for  the  sale  of  deer  from  private  preserves. 
Transportation  and  even  export  are  included  in 
some  of  them. 

ARKANSAS. — Possession,  sale,  and  shipment 
of  deer  or  fawns  is  permitted  when  they  have 
been  raised  in  captivity  for  domestic  purposes 
and  are  accompanied  by  an  affidavit  from  the 
raiser. 

COLORADO. — Owners  of  private  preserves  un- 
der a  license  are  permitted  to  sell  and  ship  deer 
or  other  quadrupeds  that  are  accompanied  by  an 
invoice.  A  fee  is  required  for  each  animal  sold. 

ILLINOIS. — Any  person  who  raises  deer  for 
market  may  kill  and  sell  them  at  any  time  in  the 
same  manner  as  other  domestic  animals. 

INDIANA. — The  provisions  of  the  law  as  to  pos- 
session and  sale  do  not  apply  to  persons  who 
have  under  ownership  or  control  any  deer  raised 
in  a  deer  park. 

MASSACHUSETTS. — The  owner  may  sell  his 
own  tame  deer  kept  on  his  own  grounds. 


DEER   FARMING.  285 

MINNESOTA. — Persons  who  desire  to  domesti- 
cate deer,  moose,  elk,  or  caribou  may  secure  a 
permit  to  do  so  from  the  State  board  of  game 
and  fish  commissioners  by  paying  a  fee  of  50 
cents  for  each  animal  in  captivity  and  a  like  fee 
for  each  animal  added  later  by  natural  increase 
or  otherwise.  The  animals  kept  in  captivity  may 
be  sold  or  shipped  within  or  without  the  State, 
by  permission  of  the  commissioners. 

MISSOURI. — Deer  or  elk,  alive  or  dead,  may 
be  shipped  from  any  private  preserve  and  sold  in 
the  markets  of  the  State  when  accompanied  by  a 
tag  furnished  by  the  game  warden  of  the  county, 
showing  whose  property  it  is,  where  killed  and 
to  whom  shipped. 

NEW  HAMPSHIRE. — The  Blue  Mountain  Forest 
Association  may  kill  elk,  deer,  or  moose  in  their 
preserve  for  one  month  after  the  open  season, 
and  at  any  time  may  transport  them  outside  the 
State. 

NEW  YORK. — Deer  may  be  sold  during  the 
open  season;  and  moose,  elk,  caribou,  and  ante- 
lope from  private  parks  may  be  sold  during  the 
same  period.  Common  carriers  may  transport  ani- 
mals into  the  State  for  breeding  purposes,  but 
may  not  transport  venison  unless  it  is  accompan- 
ied bv  the  owner. 


236  FUR   FARMING. 

NORTH  CAROLINA. — Seventeen  counties  per- 
mit the  owner  and  keeper  of  an  inclosed  game 
preserve,  who  raises  deer  for  use  or  sale,  to  kill, 
sell,  or  use  those  raised  or  kept  in  said  inclosure. 

PENNSYLVANIA. — Owners  of  game  preserves 
who  hold  a  game  propagating  certificate  may  sell 
and  transport  deer  or  fawn  alive  for  propagating 
purposes  only,  after  securing  the  written  con- 
sent of  the  president  of  the  board  of  game  com- 
missioners. 

In  three  or  four  other  States  game  "under 
private  ownership,  legally  acquired,"  is  supposed 
to  be  exempt  from  general  provisions  of  the  game 
law ;  but  in  a  test  case  as  to  its  sale  or  export  it 
is  doubtful  whether  the  courts  would  so  hold 
without  more  specific  provision  legalizing  such 
commerce. 

SUMMARY. 

The  domestication  of  deer  and  elk  offers  an 
interesting  field  for  experiment,  as  well  as  re- 
munerative returns  for  the  investment  of  capital. 

The  wapiti  and  the  Virginia  deer  can  be 
raised  sucessfully  and  cheaply  under  many  dif- 
ferent conditions  of  food  and  climate.  The  pro- 
duction of  venison  and  the  roaring  of  both  spe- 
cies for  stocking  parks  may  be  made  profitable 
industries  in  the  United  States. 


DEER  FARMING.  287 

Instead  of  hampering  breeders  by  restrictions, 
as  at  present,  State  laws  should  be  so  modified 
as  to  encourage  the  raising  of  deer,  elk,  and 
other  animals  as  a  source  of  profit  to  the  individ- 
ual and  to  the  State. 

Safeguards  against  the  destruction  and  sale 
of  wild  deer  in  place  of  domesticated  deer  are 
not  difficult  to  enforce.  For  this  purpose  a  sys- 
tem of  licensing  private  parks,  and  of  tagging 
deer  or  carcasses  sold  or  shipped,  so  that  they 
may  be  easily  identified,  is  recommended. 

It  is  believed  that  with  favorable  legislation 
much  otherwise  waste  land  in  the  United  States 
may  be  utilized  for  the  production  of  venison 
so  as  to  yield  profitable  returns,  and  also  that 
this  excellent  and  nutritious  meat,  instead  of 
being  denied  to  99  per  cent  of  the  population  of 
the  country,  may  become  as  common  and  as  cheap 
in  our  markets  as  mutton. 


The  above  illustration  shows  the  front  cover  of  Hunter-Trader- 
Trapper,  a  monthly  magazine,  published  by  The  A.  R.  Harding  Publish- 
ing Co.,  Columbus,  Ohio,  who  are  also  publishers  of  books  on  Trapping 
and  Out-o-Door  Sports,  bringing  out  new  ones  continually.  Their  latest 
booklet  descriptive  of  their  magazine  and  books  published  will  be  sent  free 
upon  application.  See  following  pages. 


Hunter 
Trader 
Trapper 


its  Name  Indicates  is  a  Magazine  of  Information 
for  Hunters,  Traders,  Trappers  and  Out-o-Door 
People. 

If  you  are  interested  in  hunting,  trapping, 
raw  furs,  ginseng,  raising  wild  animals,  taxidermy,  etc., 
you  will  find  this  magazine  of  interest  and  value.  The 
magazine  is  published  monthly  and  treats  on  the  fol- 
lowing subjects:  Steel  Traps,  Where  and  How  to  Set; 
Baits  and  Scents;  Proper  Season  to  Trap;  How  to 
Skin,  Stretch  and  Handle  Furs;  New  Ways  to  Capture 
Mink,  Fox,  Wolf,  Marten,  Beaver,  Otter  and  Other 
Shy  Animals ;  Raising  Fur  Bearing  Animals ;  Growing 
Ginseng  and  Golden  Seal ;  Training  Night  Hunting 
Dogs ;  Leading  Fur  Markets ;  London  Raw  Fur  Sales ; 
Fox  Hunting  and  Hounds;  Coon  Hunting;  Letters 
From  Old  Hunters  and  Trappers,  etc. 

The  Editor  is  a  man  of  long  experience  in  handling 
raw  furs  and  trapping.  The  articles  published  and  photos 
used  are  largely  from  those  who  have  had  actual  exper- 
ience with  trap,  gun  and  dog  — you  will  enjoy  them. 

The  magazine  contains  from  128  to  200  pages  each 
month,  averaging  about  160  each  month  or  2000  pages 
a  year.  About  700  illustrations  are  used  each  year. 
The  magazine  is  printed  on  good  quality  paper  and  the 
subscription  price  is  only 


$1.00  a  Year 

A.  R.  Harding  Publishing  Co.,  Columbus,  O. 


Bee  Hunting 

A  BOOK  OF  VAI,TJABI,E  INFORMATION  FOR   BEE 
HUNTERS.    Tells  How   to   I/ine   Bees    to  Trees,    Etc. 


The  following   is  taken  from  the  Author' s 
Introduction    to    BEE    HUNTING 


MANY  books  on  sports- 
k&ds  have 


af  various 
been    written,    but 
outside  of  an  occasional  article 
in  periodicals  devoted  to  bee  litera- 
ture, but  little  has  been  written  011 
the  subject  of  Bee  Hunting.    There- 
fore, I  have  tried  in  this  volume — 
Bee  Hunting  for  Pleasure  and  Profit 
— to  )jive  a  work   in  compact  form, 
the  product  of  what  I  have  learned 

years  in  nature's  school  room. 

Brother,  if  in  reading  these  pages. 
you  find  something  that  will  be  of 
value  to  you,  something  that  will 
inculcate  a  desire  for  manly  pastime 
and  make  your  life  brighter,  then 
my  aim  will  have  been  reached. 

The  book  contains  7j  chapters  as  follows  : 

I.  Bee  Hunting. 

II.  Early  Spring  Hunting. 

III.  Bee  Watering— How  to  Find  Them. 

IV.  Hunting  Bees  from  Sumac. 

V.  Hunting  Bees  from  Buckwheat. 

VI.  Fall  Hunting. 

VII.  Improved  Mode  of  Burning. 

VIII.  Facts  About  I,ine  of  Flight. 

IX.  Baits  and  Scents. 

X.  Cutting  the  Tree  and  Transferring. 

XI.  Customs  and  Ownership  of  Wild  Bees. 

XII.  Benefactors  and  Their  Inventions. 

XIII.  Bee  Keeping  for  Profit. 

This  book  contains  80  pages,  paper  cover. 
Price,  postpaid,  only  25  cents. 

A.  R.  Harding  Pub.  Co.,  Columbus,  Ohio 


Steel  Traps. 

Describes  the  various  makes  and  tells 
how  to  use  them.  Also  chapters  on  Care 
of  Pelts,  etc.  by  A.  R.  Harding. 

This  book  contains  333  pages,  5x7  inches 
and  130  illustrations,printed  on  good  quality 
heavy  paper.  Just  the  book  that  trappers 
have  long  needed  —  gives  the  history  of  Steel 
Traps,  how  made,  sizes  for  the  various  ani- 
mals with  detailed  instructions  on  where 
and  how  to  set  This  book  contains  thirty- 
two  chapters  as  follows: 

17  Where  to  Set 

18  Looking  at  Traps 

19  Mysteriously  Sprung  Traps 

20  Good  Dens 

21  The  Proper  Bait 
Scent  and  Decoy 
Human  Scent  and  Sign 
Hints  on  Fall  Trapping 
Land  Trapping 


:r.' 


'-'i 

26     Water  Tripping 


When  to  Tra 


28  Some  Deep  Water  Sets 

29  Skinning  and  Stretching 

30  Handling  and  Grading 

31  From  Animal  to  Market 

32  Miscellaneous     Intormatior 


Sewell  Newhouse 
Well  Made  Traps 
A  Few  Failures 
Some  European  Traps 
Proper  Sizes 
Newhouse  Traps 
Double  and  Webbed  Jaw 

8  Victor  and  Hawley  &Nor 

9  Jump  Traps 

10  Tree  Traps 

11  Stop  Thief  Trips 

12  Wide  Spreading  Jaws 

13  Caring  for  Traps 

14  Marking  Traps 

15  How  to  Fasten 

16  How  to  Set 

No  differences  what  fur  bearer  you  wish  to  trap,  best  methods  of 
Its  capture  are  described.     Cloth,  60  cents; 

Deadfalls  and  Snares 

A  book  of  Instructions  for  Trap- 
pers about  these  and  other  home 
made  Traps  by  A.  R.  Harding. 

This  book  contains  232  pages,  size  6x7  inches, 
and  84  drawings  and  illustrations,  printed  on 
good,  heavy  paper.  The  most  complete  book 
on  how  to  make  "home  made"  traps  ever  pub- 
lished. The  book  contains  twenty-eight  chap- 


ters as  follows: 

1  Building  DeadfMls 

3  Bear  and  Coon  Deadfall 

3  Otter  Deadfall 

4  Marten  Deadfall 

5  Stone  Deadfall 

6  The  Bear  Pen 

7  Portable  Traps 

8  Some  Tn'ggers. 

9  Trip  Triggers 

10  How  to  Set 

11  When  to  Build 

12  Where  to  Build 

13  The  Proper  Bait 

14  Traps  Knocked  Off. 
Building  Deadfalls  a  .id  con 


15  Spring  Pole  Snare 

16  '1  rail  Set  Snare 

17  Bait  Set  Snare 

18  The  Box  Trap 

19  The  Coop  Trap 

20  The  Pit  Trap 

21  Number  of  Traps 
5>2  When  to  Trap 

23  Season's  Catch 

2t  General  Information 

25  Skinning  and  Stretching 

26  Handling  and  Crying 

27  From  Animal  to  Market 

28  Steel  Traps 

s  Snares,  as   explained  in  this 


book,  will  be  of  value 


ppers.    Cloth  bound,  60  cents. 


SCIENCE  OF  TRAPPING 

Describes  the  Fur  Bearing  Animals,  Their  Nature,  Habits 
and  Distribution,  with  Practical  Methods  of  Their  Capture. 

This  book   contains  245  pages,    5x7  inches,   with  more   than 
40  illustrations,  many  of  which  are  full  page  of  the  various  fur 

_^  beaniiK       animals,       also       several 

pages  of  tracks. 

The  author,  Mr.  E.  Kreps,  in 
his  introduction  says:  "In  order 
to  be  successful,  one  must  know 
the  wild  animals  as  a  mother 
knows  her  child.  He  must  also 
know  and  use  the  most  practical 
methods  of  trapping,  and  it  is 
my  object  to  give  in  this  work, 
the  most  successful  trapping  meth- 
ods known.  These  modes  of  trap- 
ping the  fur  bearing  animals  have 
for  the  most  part  been  learned 
from  actual  experience  in  various 
parts  of  the  country,  but  I  also 

five  the  methods  of  other  success- 
ul  trappers,    knowing  them  to  be 
as   good    as   my    own.     I    am   per- 
sonally   acquainted    with    some    of 
the  most  expert  trappers  in  North 
America,    and    have    also    followed 
the  Indians   over  their  trap  lines,    and   in  this  way  have  learned 
many  things  which  to   the  white  man  are   not  generally   known." 
This   book    contains   twenty-four   chapters,    as   follows: 


The  Trapper's  Art. 
The   Skunk. 
The    Mink. 


4.    The   Weasel. 


The  Marten. 

The  Fisher. 

The  Otter. 

The  Beaver. 

The  Muskrat. 

The  Fox. 

The  Wolf. 

The  Bear. 


13.  The  Raccoon. 

14.  The    Badger. 

15.  The    Opossum. 

16.  The    Lynx. 

17.  The  Bay  Lynx  or  Wild  Cat. 

18.  The   Cougar. 

19.  The  Wolverine. 

20.  The   Pocket    Gopher. 

21.  The    Rabbit. 

22.  Tracks   and    Signs. 

23.  Handling    Furs. 

24.  Steel  Traps. 


The  chapter  on  TRACKS  AND  SIGNS  contains  sixteen 
pages  —  eleven  of  description  and  five  of  illustrations. 

The  author  goes  into  detail,  telling  where  the  tracks  and 
signs  of  the  various  animals  are  most  apt  to  be  found.  This 
with  an  accurate  drawing  of  the  footprints,  makes  the  chapter 
on  TRACKS  AND  SIGNS  alone  worth  dollars  to  the  young 
and  inexperienced  trapper,  while  the  distribution,  nature,  hab- 
its, etc.,  will  prove  interesting  to  all.  This  book  is  rightly 
named  —  Science  of  Trapping. 

Price,  Postpaid,  Cloth  Bound,  60  Cents. 


Ginseng  and  Other 
Medicinal  Plants 


IcrgjHIS  book  contains  about  300  pages  and  75  illustra- 
8  tions  (see  opposite  page  for  one  of  them)  with 
[BLJHI  chapters  on  the  following :  The  Story  of  Ginseng ; 
Something  About  Ginseng;  Cultivation  of  Gin- 
seng; Marketing  Ginseng;  Seeds  and  Roots;  Letters 
From  Ginseng  Growers ;  Government  Reports;  Ginseng 
in  China ;  General  Information ;  Habits  of  Ginseng ; 
Ginseng  Prices ;  Diseases  of  Ginseng ;  Medicinal  Qual- 
ities ;  Golden  Seal  Cultivation ;  Plants  as  a  Source  of 
Revenue;  List  of  Plants  Having  Medicinal  Value; 
Gigantic  Mint  Farm  in  Michigan. 

The  publishers  say — A  Book  of  Valuable  Information 
for  Growers  and  Collectors  of  Wild  Medicinal  Plants — 
Tells  How  to  Grow,  Medicinal  Uses,  Value,  Etc. 

Much  additional  information  is  also  given  about  other 
Plants  which  furnish  Root  Drugs,  such  as:  Male  Fern; 
Wild  Turnip;  Skunk  Cabbage;  Sweet  Flag;  Helonias; 
American  Hellebore;  Aletris;  Bethroot;  Wild  Yam;  Blue 
Flag;  Lady's  Slipper;  Crawley  Root;  Canada  Snake- 
root  ;  Serpentaria  (Southern  Snakeroot) ;  Yellow  Dock ; 
Pokeweed;  Soapwort;  Goldthread;  Black  Cohosh; 
Oregon  Grape;  Blue  Cohosh;  Twinleaf;  Mayapple; 
Canada  Moonseed;  Bloodroot;  Hydrangea;  Indian 
Physic;  Wild  Indigo;  Crane's  Bill;  Seneca  Snakeroot; 
Stillingia;  Wild  Sarsaparilla;  Water  Eryngo;  American 
Angelica;  Yellow  Jasmine;  Pinkroot;  American 
Colombo;  Black  Indian  Hemp;  Pleurisy  Root;  Comfrey; 
Stoneroot ;  Culvers  Root ;  Dandelion ;  Queen-of-the- 
Meadow ;  Elecampane ;  Echinacea ;  Burdock. 

A  good  photograph  of  each  of  these  is  shown  with 
the  description.  Considerable  money  can  be  made  col- 
lecting and  preparing  for  the  market.  This  book  ex- 
plains in  detail. 

Price,  cloth  bound,  postpaid,  $1.00 


'fellow    tr 


THE  PLEASURI 


CAMP  AND  TRAII 

The  prettiest  and  biggest  weekly  sporting  public 
tion,  at  the  lowest  price  explains  the  rap 
growth  of  this  journal.  CAMP  AN 
TRAIL  was  established  Decei 
"\^^          ber  4,    1909,   and  fro 
.^^       the  very  first  was  r 
^^       ceived    with     f  aw 
-     7      Why  ?    Because  ti 
/      publishers    and    edit 
bgrj      gave  "you  fellows"  wil 
.    /     was  wanted. 

/         In  general   CAMP  AN 
'     /   TRAIL  is  devoted  to  Hun 
/   ing,  Fishing,  Camping,  Boi 
/  ing,  Prospecting,  Trapping  ai 
'-"<•    I  kindred  subjects. 

/        One  of  its  strong  features  is  tl 
"Old    'Pioneer    'Department 
incidents  of  the  Early  Days  fro 
,:  /  all  parts  of  America,  'fc  fie  Brofl.it 
/  hood  Gallery— Pictures  and  sketch 
/  of  Camp  and  Trail,  Outdoor  enthus 
/  asts  is  receiving  a  royal  welcome,    i 
'    this  department  as  well  as  many  othe 
the  full  addiess  ;s  usually  given,  :o  th 
readers  can  correspond. 

If  you  are  a  hunter  and  wish  to  kno 
what  "fellow  hunterr,"  are  doing,  read  the 
accounts  of  recent  trips  in  CAMP  and  TRAII 


from 


appers 

Tarious  parts  of  America,  if 
you  like  fishing,  camping  and  boating 
you  will  find  the  accounts  of  "your  fellows"  in  this  weekly ;  if  you  are  a  trader  of  f 
pelts  or  roots  and  wish  to  "keep  posted"  you  will  find  the  fur  markets  given  each  w« 
during  the  season  as  well  as  market  letters  from  the  various  Raw  Fur  Centers. 

CAMP  AND  TRAIL  contains  24  or  more  pages  during  the  Winter  months,  7H  x  10L'  inche 
3  columns  to  the  page,  printed  on  good  quality  paper  and  splendidly  illustrated — and  all  for  only  $1 .50 
year  in  the  United  States  ;  $2.00  in  Canada.  If  you  have  never  read  a  copy  send  5  cents  for  one 
you'll  like  it.  Remember  CAMP  AND  TRAIL  comes  weekly— 52  rimes  a  year. 

A.  R.  HARDING  PUBLISHING  CO.,  Columbus,  Ohi 


SPECIAL  OFFER-BOTH 


,JD  PROFIT  PAIR" 


HUNTER  -  TRADER  -  TRAPPER 

If    you    want  practical   information    on  Hunting, 
Trapping,     Prospecting,      Raw      Furs, 
Camping,    Fur    Farming,    Ginseng 
Growing,  etc.,  etc.,  you   will 
find    the    HUNTER- 
TRADER  -TRAPPiR 
"just  fills  the  bill"  as 
its    contents    is   largely 
made  ;p  from  happenings 
of  readers— telling  of  their 
hunting,  trapping  and  other 
similar  experiences. 

The  HUNTER-TRADER- 
TRAPPER  is   an  up-to-date 
illustrated  magazine  containing 
from    160  to    200   pages    each 
month.       During   the    year   the 
twelve  issues   contain   upwards  of 
2000  pages  and  about  700  illustra- 
tions and   all  for  $1.00— It   is  the 
How,  When  and   Where  magazine. 
Among  the   regular  departments  an 
Big  Game  Hunts ;  Guns  and  Ammuni- 
tion ;  Fish  and  Fishing ;  Coon  Hunting ; 
Night  Hunting  Dogs  ;  Scents  and  Baits ; 
Deadfalls  and  Snares ;  Steel  Traps  ;  Best 
Trapping  Methods;  Trappers*  Letters;  Raw      ^S^j^^f^^^^  etc.  If  you 

Fur    Markets ;      Questions   and   Answers ;       ^ES^^^^^^^  want   to    keep 

Canadian    Letters;     Northern,  Central  and     ^^^T^  posted  —  HOW, 

Southern  Letters;  Young  Trappers'  Letters,  WHEN,    WHERE— better 

send  in  your  subscription  at  once. 

The  magazine  is  one  of  great  interest  and  much  information.  Remembei  the  editor  has 
largely  spent  his  life  as  a  hunter,  trader,  trapper  so  that  he  knows  what  to  publish  for 
your  pleasure  and  profit.  Subscription  price  $  1 .00  year,  single  copy  1 0  cents. 

HINTS  FOR  HUNTERS  AND  TRAPPERS-A  64-page  booklet,  containing  Game  Laws,  Trapping 
Secrets,  together  with  description  of  thirteen  books  on  Hunting,  Trapping  and  Outdoor  Life,  sent  free. 

A.  R.  HARDING  PUBLISHING  CO.,   Columbus,  Ohio 


;THER  ONE  YEAR  $2.25 


Land  Cruising 
and  Prospecting 


a  valuable  book  for  homesteauers,  hunters,  trap- 
pers, guides,  etc.  The  writer— Mr.  A.  F.  Wallace, 
an  experienced  surveyor,  land  cruiser  and  pros- 
pector- in  his  introduction  says:  "To  the  men 
who  follow  the  compass,  the  trap  and  the  trail  this 
work  is  inscribed.  It  is  not  intended  for  the  "Profes- 
sors" who  can  tell  you  all  about  things  after  they  are 
done  (by  somebody  else)." 

The  publishers  say :  A  book  of  Valuable  Information 
for  hunters,  trappers,  land  cruisers,  prospectors  and  men 
of  the  trail— tells  how  to  locate  one's  self  on  the  map,  etc. 
This  book  contains  about  200  pages  5x7  inches,  is 
printed  on  good  quality  paper,  with  nearly  40  illustra- 
tions and  contains  20  chapters  as  follows : 

Maps.  XI.    Poor  Man's  Ore  Mill. 

The  Compass.  XII.    Prospecting  for  Fur. 

Examining  and  Locat-  XIII.    Prospecting  for  Pearls, 

ing.  XIV.    Prospecting  for  Bees. 

IV.     Early  Surveys.  XV.    Rations  and  Camp 

V.     Corner  Marks.  Cookery. 

VI.     Miscellaneous    Inform-  XVI.    Camp  Kits. 

ation.  XVII.    Guns,  Axes  and  Pack- 

VII.     Points   for  Homestead-  straps. 

ers.  XVIII.    Building  Cabins,.  Tan- 

VIII.     Prospecting  for  Gold.  ning,    Etc. 

IX.     Sampling  Ore.  XIX.    Getting  Lost, 

X.     How  to  Locate  a  Claim.  XX.    The  Red  River  Trapper. 

This  book  is  practical  and  may  be  worth  many  times 
the  price  to  you.  Remember  it  is  written  by  one  who 
has  had  many,  many  years  of  experience. 


Price,     Cloth    Bound,     Postpaid,    60     Cents 
A.  R.  Harding  Publishing  Co.  :  :  :  Columbus,  Ohio 


CANADIAN  WILDS 


Tells  about  the  Hud- 
son's Bay  Company, 
Northern  Indians  and 
their  modes  of  hunting, 
trapping,  etc. 

This  book  contains  277 
pages,  sizes  5x7  inches,  is 
printed  on  good  quality 
heavy  paper,  not  illus- 
trated, and  contains 
thirty-seven  chapters  as 
follows : 


I.     The  Hudson  Bay  Company. 

II.     The   "Free   Trader." 
III. 
IV. 

V. 

VI. 

VII. 

VIII. 

IX. 

X. 
XI. 
XII. 


. 

Outfitting  Indians. 
Trackers   of  the   North. 
Provisions  for  the  Wilderness. 
Forts  and  Posts. 
About  Indians. 
Wholesome  Foods. 
Officer's  Allowances. 
Inland  Packs. 

Indian  Mode  of  Hunting  Beaver. 
Indian   Mode   of   Hunting   Lynx   and 


Marten. 

Xin.     Indian  Mode  of  Hunting  Foxes. 
XIV.    Indian   Mode    of   Hunting   Otter   and 

Musquash. 

XV.    Remarkable  Success. 
XVI.     Things  to  Avoid. 
VII.     Anticosta  and  its  Furs. 

Chiseling   and    Shooting   Beaver. 
The  Indian  Devil. 
A  Tame  Seal. 
The  Care  of  Blistered  Feet. 
Deer—  Sickness. 
A  Case  of  Nerve. 
Amphibious  Combats. 
Art  of  Pulling  Hearts. 
Dark   Furs. 

Indians  are  Poor  Shots. 
A  Bear  in  the  Water. 
Voracious  Pike. 
The  Brass  Eyed  Duck. 
Good  Wages  Trapping. 
A  Pard  Necessary. 
A  Heroic  Adventure. 
Wild  Oxen. 
Long  Lake  Indians. 
Den  Bears. 

XXXVII.  The  Mishap  of  Ralson. 
This  book  is  from  the  pen  of  a  Hudson's  Bay 
Officer  (Martin  Hunter)  who  has  had  40  years  ex- 
perience with  the  Hudson's  Bay  Co  —  from  1863  to 
1903.  During  that  time  he  was  stationed  at  different 
Trading  Posts  In  Canada.  Price,  cloth  bound,  poet 
paid,  60  centa. 


XVIII. 

XIX. 

XX. 

XXI. 

XXII. 

XXIII. 

XXIV. 

XXV. 

XXVI. 

XXVII. 

XXVIII. 

XXIX. 

XXX. 

XXXI. 

XXXJI. 

XXXIII. 

XXXIV. 

XXXV. 

XXXVI. 


HUNTING  DOGS. 

Describes  in  a  Practical  Manner  the  Training,  Handling,  Treat- 
ment, Breeds,  etc.,  Best  Adapted  for  Night  Hunting, 
as  well  as  Oun  Dogs  for  Daylight  Sport. 


This  book  contains  253  pages,  5 
x  7  inches,  45  illustrations  show- 
ing the  various  breeds,  hunting 
scenes,  etc. 

The  author,  Mr.  Oliver  Hart- 
ley, in  his  introduction  says:  "As 
if  hunting  for  profit,  night  hunt- 
ing for  either  pleasure  or  gain 
and  professional  hunting  gener- 
lly had  no  importance,  writers 


selves  with  dwelling  on  the  study 
and  presentation  of  matters  relat- 
ing solely  to  the  men  who  hunt 
for  sport  only.  E'ven  then  the 
Fox  Chase  and  Bird  Hunting  has 
been  the  burden  of  the  greater 
per  cent,  of  such  books. 


Chapte 


Part    One — Hunting    Dogs. 


7.  Training — For     Squirrels 

and    Rabbits 

8.  Training         the         Deer 

H9und 

9.  Training — Specific  Things 
to  Teach 

10.  Training— Random  Sug- 
gestions from  Many 
Sources 


1.  Night  Hunting 

2.  The  Night  Hunting  Dog 

— His  Ancestry 

3.  Training      the      Hunting 
Dog 

4.  Training  the  Coon  Dog 

5.  Training       for       Skunk, 

Onossum  and  Mink 

6.  Wolf   and    CoyoLe    Hunting 

Part    II  —  Breeding   and    C-re   of    Dogs. 
Chapter  14.     Breeding    (Continued) 

11.  Selecting   the    Do?  15.     Peculiarities        of      Dogs 

12.  Care  and   Breeding  and    Practical    Hints 

13.  Breeding  1(5.     Ailments    of    the    Dog 

Part   III  —  Dog  Lore. 

Chapter  13.    The    Dog    on    the    Trap 

17.     Still     Trailers     vs.     Ton-  Line 

guers.     Music  10.     Sledge  Dogs  of  the  North 

Part    IV  — Tha   Hunting    Cog    Family. 

20.  American     Fox    Hound  24.     Scotch        Copies.     House 

21.  The     Beadle     Dachshund  and   \Yatch    Hogs 


and    Basset    Hound 

22.  Pointers       and       Setters- 

Spaniels 

23.  Terriers— Airedales 


25.  A     Farmer    Hunter — His 

Views 

26.  Descriptive       Table       of 

Technical    Terms 
The  contents  show  the  scope  of  this  book  and  if  you   are 
at    all    interested    in     hunting    dogs,    you    should    have    this 
work.      The    book    is    made    up    not    only    from    the    author's 
observation    and    experience,    but    that    of    scores    of    success- 
ful   night    as   well    as    daylight    hunters.     This   book    will    not 
interest  the   field  trial   dog  men   but  is   for  the  real   dog?  men 
who   delight  in  chases  that  are  genuine. 
Price,   cloth-bound,   postpaid,  60c. 

A,  R.  HARDING  PUB.  CO.,  Columbus,  Ohio 


University  of  California 

SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 

Return  this  material  to  the  library 

from  which  it  was  borrowed. 


MAR  2  9  1989 


LD-URL      APR  13 


A     000033687     5 


